I feel terrible today. About the field I work in and the fact that it is so overcrowded and mismanaged that people are getting hurt.
I learned today that a boy I used to work with was arrested for sexually assaulting a staff member at the group home he now lives in. He is 17 now, I worked with him when he was a skinny little 10 year old who would dance and drop his glasses all the time.
The news article I read online also had a link to the 911 call. In it you can hear the young woman screaming in the background as she is being assaulted, while another teenager from the group home calls 911 for help. A few minutes later they came through the door and stopped the attack in progress.
I'm furious at how group homes and residential homes are managed in this state. The boy had physically assaulted two staff (including the woman he sexually assaulted) the week before according to the news, but still she was left alone in the house with him and another teenager. This sort of bullshit happens all the time in programs all over the place. It was fortunate for all involved that the other boy in the house called 911 instead of participating in the attack or ignoring the situation.
They discussed this news story in the admin meeting at work the other day, even played the 911 tape. I hope it opens their fucking eyes. Right now in the program we have a teenager who assaulted a smaller female staff in much the same way: threw her to the ground and tried to tear her clothes off before nearby staff beat him off of her. All they did was move him to another house. What the fuck kind of solution is that? The kid's been in the system for years, is making no attempt to improve himself to the level of joining society, and enjoys assaulting female staff, so we continue to keep him in an unlocked facility that is obviously not making any progress on his issues. It boggles the mind that there are not more resources for programs and group homes in situations like this. How many more people are going to get hurt before reforms are made?
Sorry for the rant, but I'm in a black mood right now. As horrible as this is, I can't help thinking about if it had happened to one of my coworkers, or to HathOriginal if she were still working in human services.
I learned today that a boy I used to work with was arrested for sexually assaulting a staff member at the group home he now lives in. He is 17 now, I worked with him when he was a skinny little 10 year old who would dance and drop his glasses all the time.
The news article I read online also had a link to the 911 call. In it you can hear the young woman screaming in the background as she is being assaulted, while another teenager from the group home calls 911 for help. A few minutes later they came through the door and stopped the attack in progress.
I'm furious at how group homes and residential homes are managed in this state. The boy had physically assaulted two staff (including the woman he sexually assaulted) the week before according to the news, but still she was left alone in the house with him and another teenager. This sort of bullshit happens all the time in programs all over the place. It was fortunate for all involved that the other boy in the house called 911 instead of participating in the attack or ignoring the situation.
They discussed this news story in the admin meeting at work the other day, even played the 911 tape. I hope it opens their fucking eyes. Right now in the program we have a teenager who assaulted a smaller female staff in much the same way: threw her to the ground and tried to tear her clothes off before nearby staff beat him off of her. All they did was move him to another house. What the fuck kind of solution is that? The kid's been in the system for years, is making no attempt to improve himself to the level of joining society, and enjoys assaulting female staff, so we continue to keep him in an unlocked facility that is obviously not making any progress on his issues. It boggles the mind that there are not more resources for programs and group homes in situations like this. How many more people are going to get hurt before reforms are made?
Sorry for the rant, but I'm in a black mood right now. As horrible as this is, I can't help thinking about if it had happened to one of my coworkers, or to HathOriginal if she were still working in human services.
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Yeah, Black Friday will be quite scary for me. I will be prepared!
Thanks for the comment. But for some reason, the pic hasn't been updated to reflect when I post.
Happy Turkey Day to you two!!!
you know, i've always admired you for the amount of crazy shit you put up with at work. i know i couldn't deal with a tenth of the stuff it sounds like you put up with daily. hang in there.
you guys have a great thanksgiving. are you cooking a big meal? i know that's your thing.