Random thoughts on the local paper
Jan. 21st, 2003 12:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancerjodiCatching up on yesterday's paper I found an article about a couple of missing girls who ran away from a residential program at The Franciscan Children's Hospital in Brighton. Its the place I did my internship at during my senior year in college.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/local_regional/dedh_missinggirls01202003.htm
Having worked there, I know that its not the most secure of residential programs. But that's why our kids I think benefited from it, it was more of a "camp" atmosphere than a prison atmosphere. I'm not sure if these girls were in my old unit or another. I would guess mine (since the others were for either boys referred by DYS or for kids that underwent serious physical trauma, like in a car accident or something). But these girls are much older than the kids on the unit when I was there, too. I wonder if DSS (the organization that referred kids into our unit) is strained and had changed their rules as to who and who wouldn't be admitted.
Our program was a supposed 1-3 month assessment program and from there the kids would move on (either home, or with a foster home, or to another long-term residential facility). It really became home for a lot of them, so I guess that sort of explains why these girls didn't want to leave.
I wonder what its like to be a fly on the wall there now. There were times when we'd take our kids outside into the yard to play, or down the the chapel to sit (when they asked to) or, to said gym that these girls ran away from. I see many more restrictions in their future. I had been told that the few times kids did run away they were caught down the street . . . hopefully they'll find these girls soon.
Another article metioned the 54th year tradition around Edgar Allen Poe's gravesite:
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/library/news/toaster.asp Neat!
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/local_regional/dedh_missinggirls01202003.htm
Having worked there, I know that its not the most secure of residential programs. But that's why our kids I think benefited from it, it was more of a "camp" atmosphere than a prison atmosphere. I'm not sure if these girls were in my old unit or another. I would guess mine (since the others were for either boys referred by DYS or for kids that underwent serious physical trauma, like in a car accident or something). But these girls are much older than the kids on the unit when I was there, too. I wonder if DSS (the organization that referred kids into our unit) is strained and had changed their rules as to who and who wouldn't be admitted.
Our program was a supposed 1-3 month assessment program and from there the kids would move on (either home, or with a foster home, or to another long-term residential facility). It really became home for a lot of them, so I guess that sort of explains why these girls didn't want to leave.
I wonder what its like to be a fly on the wall there now. There were times when we'd take our kids outside into the yard to play, or down the the chapel to sit (when they asked to) or, to said gym that these girls ran away from. I see many more restrictions in their future. I had been told that the few times kids did run away they were caught down the street . . . hopefully they'll find these girls soon.
Another article metioned the 54th year tradition around Edgar Allen Poe's gravesite:
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/library/news/toaster.asp Neat!
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Poe
Date: 2003-01-21 10:24 am (UTC)