In the serene and tree-lined JCCA campus in Mount Pleasant, NY, an alarming increase in violence has been observed. Ronald Richter, the executive director of JCCA, has noticed a significant rise in the repair bill for broken windows, indicating the level of emotional disturbance among the foster kids in their care. The JCCA is a child welfare organization that has been supporting foster kids with developmental delays and mental health challenges since 1822.
In the first half of 2022, Richter had to spend $30,000 on window repairs, but in the same period this spring, the bill soared to $200,000. So, what has caused this surge in violence on the JCCA campus? According to Richter, the state has been sending foster children with intense and complex needs that their organization is ill-equipped and unlicensed to handle. These children have often faced abuse, neglect, and trauma in their own families and during their time in foster care, leading them to act out.
In the past, JCCA could manage these behaviors by assigning extra staff or transferring the children to facilities better suited for their needs. However, the state now has no alternative placements for children with severe emotional disturbances. Over the last decade, more than half of the residential psychiatric beds for minors in New York State have been eliminated due to funding cuts from federal, state, and philanthropic sources. Furthermore, maintaining these facilities has become more costly due to labor market constraints and rising insurance rates.
This critical situation is not limited to JCCA. Foster children across the United States are struggling to find suitable placements. Many end up in offices, hotels, homeless shelters, or facilities like JCCA. For instance, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services had to use conference rooms to accommodate over 300 children. This overcrowding led to instances of assault, vandalism, and even child trafficking. In Illinois, the Department of Children and Families has made 2,000 placements in shelters and offices since 2018 due to the loss of residential treatment beds.
Facilities like JCCA that remain open are now overwhelmed and understaffed. Unfortunately, JCCA is prohibited from resorting to physical restraint or even locking the campus gates, except in cases of imminent harm. These violent incidents have had devastating consequences, not only for JCCA’s staff and the other children but also for the local community, with increased incidents of missing persons, assaults, vandalism, suicide threats, and emotionally disturbed children in their midst.
Recognizing the severity of the situation, the New York State Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health and the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies recently appealed to Governor Hochul for action. However, this is not a problem limited to New York. Greg McKay, a former detective and director of Arizona’s Department of Child Safety, believes that the prevalence of high-level aberrant behavior among children has increased, overwhelming the systems meant to support them.
While some argue that foster children with higher needs can be accommodated in “therapeutic” foster families, the reality is that these homes have not materialized. The Family First Prevention Services Act, passed in 2018, limited federal funding for congregate care without providing sufficient resources for alternative placements. This has made it harder to find suitable placements for children with intense challenges, making them more prone to self-harm and endangering others. It has also made it challenging to find foster families willing to take on such children.
In an attempt to address these issues, the Town of Mount Pleasant demanded the shutdown of JCCA, and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek pledged to recruit more therapeutic foster homes. However, shutting down the remaining places for foster children is not the solution. Instead, a comprehensive approach is needed to address the complex needs of these children and provide them with the support and resources they require. By investing in alternative placements, facilities, and training for foster families, we can ensure the well-being of these vulnerable children and reduce the incidents of violence and harm they face.
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