Step- questions for you

klmno

Active Member
I was wondering if you could tell me about the requirements of O's group home and PO- as far as whether or not you rec'd a written plan detailing any requirements for "completion" or length of stay or measurable goals- basically have they defined what it takes to get out?
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
We didn't "get" a copy, though they would if we asked. We did read it over - we had to sign it - and I looked through Onyxx's rule book - wow!

Basically they took all of her transgressions and laid out goals. She has drug & alcohol classes, counseling, work on her self esteem, independent living, work on how to treat others... And on and on. They looked at past history with the custoday problems, the home study and GAL report, as well as the social history we provided.

They broke the goals down into 4 levels, each at least 5-6 weeks (or longer)... The first level, level 0, was buying in to the program. She's demonstrated to them that she has done so. I know my child too well to believe that 100%.

Does that help any?
 

klmno

Active Member
Kind of- the PO won't write a parole plan, won't answer quesstions, and verbally says stuff that contradicts what program (GH) asst director says. First, I know a parole plan has to be written. 2nd, they use a form here for ANY type of service that lists the "goals" which PO provides, on top of their standard 'work-your-way-thru' requirement. I was wondering if you rec'd anything like that but I'm sure it's different on parole.

Thanks!

Oh- do they say she'll be returned home when she completes steps?
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Im gonna chime here and say that I am going to figure that most of these things are going to be a state numbered form that someone made up a long time ago and they have to fill it out in a certain order. There is probably a Part A that lists what the Probation or Parole lists as requirements to be followed. Part B is maybe the list of what programs the group home supposedly offers that the client needs to attend to access help in this program. Part C is most likely past history, family history, medical history, any diagnosis, or Axis stuff. Part D is probably a form with a long chart that has places with goals and times and how long they should take to achieve and what it should look like when he achieves them. Part E should be the reunification plan.

That would be my experience with what most fill in the blank forms look like. Some may differ slightly but most have the same basic structure.
 

klmno

Active Member
I think that's part of it DJ- the part the PO and reentry lady share amongst themselves. There should still be stuff in writing so difficult child and I know PO requirements (no truancy, 2 PO visits per mo, etc) and then the stuff like Step mentioned for group home. As everyone knows, I had mixed feelings about difficult child coming straight home but I'm starting to be able to define - for myself- what is bothering me so much about this current situation. A few on the top of my head:

1) the lies and conflicting information, including telling difficult child he could be home in 3 mos when reentry lady told me that would not be possible and PO and super were sitting right there and heard that, too; they have lost their credibility with me

2) the PO keeping attny and me oout of room at beginning of VC then hearing from difficult child that's when they told him gh placement "because I said he wasn't ready to come home", which is not what I said- I said I didn't know- but what they said implies that I don't thinkk he's ready to be released and that he could come home except for me yet they know they were not leaving it up to me

3) when I asked difficult child's current staff at the facility questions like what his projected release date is, have they followed up with ABC, how is difficult child currently doing in his mandatory treatment, I get straight answers; when I ask PO or super, I hear "whenever we feel like it, it's not up to me to determine follow-up, they'll be the ones to determine how he's doing". That tells me that they are more focused on a power trip than the required policies of keeping difficult child and me informed and staying clear on their OWN method of having clear paths to graduated sanctions- and they are defensive and resent the parent being involved- it's about me kissing rear, unlike with staff in the facilities. Now attny just referred to it as lack of professionalism

4) Reentry lady said it would probably take difficult child over 8 mos to get thru the group home- she said that after reading over my list of 'stuff' that I'd typed up and taken to mtg with her and PO/super- ok- well I can see that if difficult child was currently home and we were having these problems, like when he was 13 yo and the gh was ordered in lieu of committment to Department of Juvenile Justice, however this approach is completely ignoring his time incarcerated and the fact that they have graduated sanctions, treatment requirements, etc, to earn their way out of incarceration- so they are taking the approach that difficult child has learned nothing from the past 18 mos so they are starting him over in gh program- IOW, I don't know if the problems exhibited before difficult child went to Department of Juvenile Justice would still be there and I don't know if he'd try harder after this release but I don't thinkk it's right to assume Department of Juvenile Justice was a waste of time altogether and require him to spend 5 weeks (as example) working thru an issue he had at home when he was 13 yo, after all this time in Department of Juvenile Justice and him coming out at 17.

5) PO is calling it a step-down but there are 2 problems with that- 1 is that a step-down isn't supposed to add time to the sentence and another is that they hhave taken the diversion program and are now calling it re-entry just because the funding objectives changed

6)Due to attitude of PO with resistance to outline and state requirements, the fact that the only thing this gh is changing from it's diversion program to make this reentry is to change ultimate objective to getting a kid out on their own which is modeled after the state's adult prisoner reentry plan, and neither difficult child or me rec'g anything at all in writing from PO about "parole plan" leads me to think they are iintentionally aging him out in the GH and tell him it's my fault.

Think about it- they led me to think they were reconsidering gh decision and, being holidays, I'm sure they knew I'd visit difficult child and tell him. Then they told me decision had been made all along but told difficult child it was because I said he wasn't ready- and they told us these things separately not at a time when I could deny it or they'd have to own up to decision in front of difficult child.

\Now they just told difficult child he could be out after 3 mos, knowing he won't and that it will be over 8, and I can just bet that somehow they'll try to convince him that's my fault, too.

What they think this approach is serving is beyond me. All I can see is that they are abusing their authority. They've made it clear that if there ever is any reunification (although reading between the lines, it doesn't look like they even want that), it will be a reward not the goal. Attny says this is not the intent of the judges and higher ups in regards to difficult children coming out of incarceration and having already served their time.

I'm preparing stuff to request a hearing before a judge to try to get a reunification plan ordered and a shorter lenghth in gh required if difficult child does what he's suppposed to- and mayber periodic reviews by a judge not just PO. If nothing else, difficult child will know beyond a shadow of a doubt who's lying the next time PO tries to tell him something misleading about this mess. difficult child will know it wasn't my intent to age him out of the system, avoid reunification, or add more sanctions to his time in Department of Juvenile Justice.
 
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AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
I am really, really confused, and I bet you are, too. This smells really, really, REALLY fishy to me. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder WTH they are thinking?!

on the other hand - When I sat down with staff the day I took Onyxx's stuff over - I was told the program is a minimum 5 to 6 months (5 weeks per level x 4 levels = 20 weeks + approx. 2 weeks level 0 = 22 weeks) - and most girls made it through in about 9 to 10 months. Onyxx is convinced she will be out in mid March. That's 16 weeks. Staff was impressed at how fast she was making it through the levels. What happened to a minimum of 5 weeks per level?! Even at the 22 weeks, that would put her at the end of May, Know what I mean?? (Although she won't make her next level after this weekend. I'll post in General...)

So I'm wondering if all of these are really screwed up and tell the parents one thing and the kids another...
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Oh I know they tell everyone something different. I have no doubt of that. I am sure they are telling the kids that they have a chance of earning good time. Most people in any sort of facility do have that opportunity. Deal is, most cant do it. We were told Cory would most likely be in his Residential Treatment Center (RTC) for 9 months or more but he got out in 7. I think he was as ready as he was going to be anyway. By then he was just biding time. He had been on the highest level for a month and a half and the staff was attempting to irritate him on a daily basis to knock him down to lower levels. We all knew what they were doing. They kept calling him names when on the elevator and trying to provoke him. Even the staff admitted it was to see if he would react on the outside. They just didnt want to keep up doing that.
 

klmno

Active Member
Yeah- and that's what the reentry lady said- except she specifically said the absolute possible soonest was 4 mos but that was nearly impossible and no one has done it. (that's exactly what she said) PO's super sat right there and told difficult child 3 mos, then when I specifically asked her if that meant if he behaved there, followed parole requirements, and obviously didn't commit a crimnal act, would they order a release in 3 mos and she looked shocked and said "oh, I didn't say that". This is one reason I want to get this in front of a judge- let's see how evasive they become then. 9 mos would basicly age difficult child out and I think that's what they want- the reunification and academic goals are carrots that they don't even consider consistent with THEIR goals and that is for difficult child to work full time and be on his own. But there are requirements for Department of Juvenile Justice and judges to tell a kid and the parent the reality of any sentence, requirements, etc, and give it in writing- another strike against them. They could have ordered a 3 mos stay with purposes of reunification and I don't think they can justify what they are doing when there is a LRE and the kid isn't a foster kid and he's done his sentence incarcerated. They should spend the money on a 17 yo coming out who really will never have a family to go to and has no feasible choice except to get out on his own. All the kids are required to get a job, even full time students and I can just see the whole thing leaving difficult child feeling like he'd rather be in a Department of Juvenile Justice facility than to give up on what he said he wanted to work another long term program where living conditions are worse and more dangerous (gangs) than inside a facility. DSS isn't allowed to do this sort of koi- they have to have a reunification plan if there's a family member AND it has to be reviewed by a judge periodically. I'm thinking Department of Juvenile Justice should be required to do the same since difficult child isn't going to a gh as a sanction (supposedly), it's not a step-down during a sentenced time period, I never lost parental rights, we both want reunification, I could go on and on.....

And I'd love to have difficult child sitting in on VC participating in a hearing listening to PO spilling out all his reasons to justify this when they tried to tell difficult child that the reason was becuase of me. Uh- then why am I in court asking for the same thing I ask for to begin with? A short term placement to gradually integrate us and preferably, have some traditional family therapy (not behavior contract) at that place during that period, just to make sure we get out the worst emotions and we can handle them and we aren't heading right back into a crisis- we could continue longer term stuff after he comes back home as long as I know we aren't going into crisis.

Check this out- the Department of Juvenile Justice facility recommended him coming home with a stabilization group to help us adjust. I have no idea what that is, but it sounds good. LOL! That should play into court, too. If the ONLY people who want a gh stay are the people who just got funding and want it approved for next year and PO, I'm thinking it we have a good chance of getting better in court- especially since I'm the victim of the committing offenses and never covered for my kid and I'm saying this is all it would take for me to bring him home- a gradual transition to see how things are headed. But I also drew a line with PO in that we cannot be bombarded with orders/services that cause us more stress than halp any problem and serve no purpose in true monitoring of his compliance with parole- or that cost me another job.

I'm hoping to hear back from attny tomorrow. I plan to put a request in for a hearing by end of this week or Monday at the latest. Hopefully, attny won't bail on me and I won't have to go it alone. Attny heard hallf these converstaions and has figured out I'm telling the truth and they are misleading us. I just don't think she's quite as knowledgable on the 'rights' of a juvenile who's declared a delinquent- such as that they are to receive their sentence, requirements, parole plan, etc, in writing and the parent gets a copy.

PO even tried to tell me it was ok for me to go to difficult child's IEP mtg- WTF? I'm his only rep while difficult child's incarcerated and they think I need their permission when he's not? That's when I reminded them that I haven't lost my parental rights.

Anyone can chime in if they have experience, comments, whatever- I just thought of Step first due to her current situation.
 
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