Last week

It's edging closer to the end of the school year, and I'm surprised to see so many kids getting in trouble. Lots of public defenders have come to me this week to discuss the need for a disposition coordinator on at least one of their cases. I was able to witness a very thorough referral to a disposition coordinator (Lela) from one of my favorite attorneys. He came into the office to get a referral sheet, but the referral sheet only has so much room to write. The attorney explained that he thought this kid needed out of home placement. The youth had been so compliant with structured environments, but he and his mother did not get along. Many successful placements were visible on the youth's "list history" when he was out of the home, but now he's back in detention. The public defender seemed to really like the youth. Lela said she would see what she could do since the youth was turning 18 in less than a year. She had some independent living options in mind.

Sophia is gone this week, so Lela is my main squeeze. She came to tell me this morning about a case that she worked so hard on. The client was almost definitely facing boy school, but she managed to get him into Fairbanks. He ran from the placement last Thursday, and no one knows where he is. Lela suspects he'll be hiding out until September when he turns 18. Lela dug really hard to find some area for work with this kid. He got his wish that he not be sent to boy school, but the placement facility he was sent to (Fairbanks) was also unsatisfactory for him. This puts Lela's credibility on the line. Lela's job is to search for alternatives to detention to present to the judge if she knows the client might not benefit from being locked up in boy school. She intends to serve the kid's best interest, but if he comes back to the center in cuffs within the next few months there's not much she can do. She said the client reported a desire to succeed in a program at Fairbanks. He also reported being the only kid there whose family hadn't had any interaction/family therapy. By the end of the day, Lela got another report concerning another youth she placed at a facility that was also on the run.... not a good week.

I also spent time this week researching a program that I learned is no longer being funded. The program is call "Domestic Diversion." The program is losing funding because it cannot stay afloat in a system that has so few resources. The sentencing consultants only have funds enough for 4 more kids to be in the program this year. Grant writers were faced with the delimma of losing a social worker or discontinuing the program. Domestic Diversion cases arise when there are juvenile detentions or disturbances resulting from any form of domestic violence. In order to protect the child, further investigation and counseling must take place. This program puts the two family members through group therapy. It takes two people to fight, and every time a domestic battery case gets sent to one of the disposition coordinators it is up to them to decide what to do with it. If the youth was just acting out or does not get along with the other guardian/parent, something must be done to alleviate the situation. Domestic Diversion cases are prevalent, but this program will no longer be available.