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An open discussion about the troubled parent industry

Quote from: ""Guest""

Quote from: ""hanzomon4""

Quote from: ""Guest""

Puck:
If you are a real ex-staffer; then I think your comments about under-staffing are valid and important.  Especially for Pitbull Mom, who is searching for answers to why her son did not receive emergency medical care; and was allowed to die, for what is apparently medical negligence.

If your observations are correct: and the night staff possibly did not check on sick children as was required -every 15 minutes, as you stated- then perhaps; you could come forward and offer evidence on Pitbull's behalf?

Your observations and experience seems to be what this mother is looking for to answer the question: why her son was denied emergency medical care.
Was it a question of under-staffing? Lack of training?  Lack of supervision of staff?
Perhaps you can communicate with Pitbull Mom by Private Message.
Personally, I detest these programs, and the lack of oversight by Utah officials, and what I assume will be a cover-up of this boy's death.
But I respect your offer to discuss this facility from your point of view as a staff worker.

I forgot to sign in.  Joyce Harris

:tup:

Joyce brings up some good points.  Are you going to address them or continue to ignore them?

Sorry, didn't mean to ignore any points.  Yes, I believe that this incident was a result of the following: understaffing (two graveyard staff in a house with up to 15 kids, trying to make meals for the next day, watching movies, etc...), a lack of training (with up to 45 students on campus at a time I feel a medical staff should be on shift 24/7), and a lack of supervision (I knew supervisors that wouldn't go in because they might catch one of their staff doing something wrong and then they'd have to do something about it.)

Pitbull mom has contacted me and I willingly provided her my name and contact info.

Dropping a level means more time in a program. It means more abuse.

And you said you'd want to stop abuse?

Bashing your face in for making him spend more time in a program is instant karma, you cock mongler.

Yeah - how long he spent in the program was really up to me. I made him threaten others and attack me, because there's no such thing as personal liablitiy, right? Now I'm gonna  be the one to make him spend time in prison for his actions.   Hell - why don't you go ahead and blame me for him attacking someone in California, the mortgage crisis, and global warming.  Quick, call Al Gore!   You can safely make judegments about me confident in your own opinion that I must be the scum of the earth to work at an RTC.  I have no problems with my conduct as a staff.  I never abused students, I tried to be fair and patient at all times.  I argued with admin and therapists when I felt rules or decisions were unfair or detrimental, but you wouldn't care about stuff like that.  You see me as just another 'robo-puck' quick to bring down unjustice and abuse upon a poor misfortunate kid.

When I was attacked, the first hit broke the orbit of my eye.  As he kept hitting my first thought was to swing around and plant my elbow into the side of his head and then just keep hitting.  As an EMT I knew what the damage was to my face and the kind of surgery I would need to repair it.  Then the second thought in my head was, "Control, don't hurt."  As he kept hitting I turned away and reached back with both my arms to try and pin his arms down until another staff could respond.  He landed some more blows to the back of my head and upper back until I was able to get hold of his arms.  I proud of the fact that I didn't hit or injure him in any way.  So go ahead and make all the judgements you want against me - applaud the kid for acting out violently and curse the adult system he will now be apart of as unfair and harsh (because it typically is).  Sit proudly in your own ignorance and petty insults, but if you ever want to know the truth about me, then just ask.

Is anyone stopping Puck? No.

Are we calling robo-puck out for working in a program and not busting kids out, and riding his ass and telling him to do a barrel roll? Yeah.

Seriously, you'd think someone with Titanium face plates could handle a little more before BAWWWWWing like this  :rofl:

Mate, I can handle anything you want to throw at me.  I'll answer any question you have and take any cirticism you have too.  As for not busting the kids outta there - yeah, I want to go to prison for kidnapping.  I did express concerns to parents at times and usually got a polite thank you - why should they take me seriously?  I was just a line staff, not one of the god-like therapists.

So bring it on - either in this forum so you can show everyone how clever you think you are or send me private message with serious questions and I'll answer them there.

As for why the student hit me?  I had held him accountable for his behavior (making threats against staff and students) and dropped his level, so he attacked me.  His parents got him out of the state before his preliminary hearing and now he's sitting in CYA custody on attempted homicide charges.  I guess he has an anger problem.

To you "Off topic" folks -Instead of bashing parents or staff of programs, and making assumptioms without facts, when you don't even know what happened, let's focus on realistic changes that can be made at the state and/or federal level to stop the madness of teens dying in treatment.

Anyone with actual useful information or documentaable proof about negligence about the innerworkings of the state of Utah in regards to reform in residential treatmemt programs and why criminal charges are rarely filed, lack of stiffer licensing and enforcement, etc should post this information so that the family can contact the appropriate high level officials and get effective action. These are not "disposable" kids, shame on those who bash the parents for being the problem instead of actively advocating for legislative change.  Get a life and get moving and do something responsible....This boys death is tragic, but let's all turn it into something positive for all the other troubled kids out there who have needs for alternative placememts.

A Sad Friend

I worked at Youth Care for 2.5 years as a line staff and also as a 'key' staff.  I'm easily identifiable - I was assaulted by a student and required facial reconstruction surgery - and any time I post my old 'friends' who still work there are told to have no contact with me, so I know I'm pushing some serious buttons.

The night I was attacked there were not enough staff on shift, a common occurence at this program.  There were two staff assigned to a house with 14 students - I was only there to finish up paperwork from the day shift.  The student that attacked me was able to walk away from his group, sneak up behind me, and when I hung up the phone he started swinging.  Another student was also able to walk away from his group to come watch.

You want first hand knowledge?  I would come in to work in the mornings and watch the graveyard staff unplug their xbox/ps2/dvd players/laptops, hurry and check all the boxes on the log sheets signifying that they checked the students every 15 mins for signs of life (breathing, movement, etc...) and leave.  Sometimes the graves were still asleep when I got there (they weren't supposed to sleep).  This student was sleeping out of his room which, according to our training, he should have been checked on every 15 mins.  If they were checking, how did the student's body proceed through rigor and livor mortis before the staff even noticed he was deceased?

I finally quit in disgust when the student who watched me get assaulted was re-admitted to the programm despite my concerns for my own safety or the safety of others (he had a history of sexually acting out/flashing female students).

Programs in Utah, and I worked in a few until I gave up and moved to adult corrections, rely on a cheap student labor market and the mystique that 'Utah' is a great, safe place.  Youth Care is like most other programs - profit driven, not care driven.

I worked with some great staff, I tried to be a good staff.  Too bad the administrators can't be more like some of the staff they're fortunate enough to have on the payroll.