How Could You? Hall of Shame-EMQ Families First Juveniles UPDATED/Lawsuit

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Davis, California, this is our THIRD case of abuse that involves a EMQ Families First group home. See the other two cases here.

“Two teenage boys at a Northern California group home have been arrested on suspicion of holding down and raping an 11-year-old girl in a park.

Police in the Yolo County city of Davis say the boys were arrested on Wednesday.

The assault occurred at a Davis park over the weekend. The 13 and 14-year-old boys and 11-year-old girl were residents of the FamiliesFirst group home.

According to its website, FamiliesFirst serves children and youth with complex behavioral health challenges.

The Sacramento Bee reports  that staff from the facility are supposed to supervise the residents at all time, but authorities say no staff members were around when the incident occurred.

FamiliesFirst says it is fully cooperating with the investigation.

Police are also looking into whether other juveniles present during the attack played any role in it.”

Calif. group home teens arrested in rape of girl

[Sacramento Bee 6/7/13 by The Associated Press]

“The teens had left the home, EMQ FamiliesFirst  psychiatric treatment facility, without permission. The girl reported the assault, in which a 13- and 14-year-old boy held her down and forcibly raped her in a park, on June 4, several days after it occurred, Davis Police Lt. Glenn Glasgow said.

Davis police have received more than 500 calls from the group home, licensed to house 63 residents ages 6 to 17, since the first of the year, Glasgow said. In the past two weeks, several residents have been arrested for felony assault and several youth were taken into protective custody.

Investigators also have learned about other illegal incidents of sexual acts that took place away from the group home, which has cottages on a six-acre campus, Glasgow said. The teens have acknowledged other illegal activity such as theft, shoplifting and fighting. Their names are not being released because of their ages.

Families First is a level 14 group home, the highest level with the most troubled juveniles.

One of the home’s residents, 14, said many of the problems there stem from lack of supervision.

Staff positions were cut in December, said the teen, who asked to remain anonymous because of fear of retribution. Not enough staff members are available to supervise the kids.

“They just let the kids walk off,” the teen said. “And they don’t supervise them at all.”

He also said he witnessed workers abusing the kids.

“It’s really violent there,” the teen said. “And the staff gives a lot of attitudes to kids and disrespect and are just too strict on the kids. And they tend to hurt the kids a lot.”

The boy’s father acknowledged that the children have problems, but the staff is indifferent.

“The kids have obviously done something, and they are there,” he said. “It has the makings to be a fabulous place, but in my opinion, they’re just there for a paycheck.”

A spokesperson for Families First, based in Campbell, Calif., said 50 to 60 kids live at the Davis facility but declined to disclose its child-to-staff ratio. The non-profit operates juvenile mental-health treatment programs in 33 California counties.

“We are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of all the children on the campus and in the community,” Gordon Richardson, the agency’s Capital Region executive director, said in a statement. He also said EMQ FamiliesFirst is cooperating with investigators.

As part of the investigation, some children have been removed from the Yolo County facility, which is about 15 miles east of Sacramento, said Michael Weston, a spokesman for the California Department of Social Services.

“These are very serious circumstances. The safety of all children in the care of the facility is the top priority.””

Young teens in group home accused of raping 11-year-old

[USA Today 6/7/13 by Claudia Johnson and Siemny Chhuon]

“A batch of licensing reports from the California Department of Social Services details recent complaints against and investigations into the Families First group home in Davis, the most recent just one day after two teens were arrested after being accused of raping an 11-year-old girl.

June 6 – Investigators find Families First failed to report missing patients. They find the staff-to-patient ratio is inadequate and find staff isn’t up to par on how to properly restrain problem kids.

May 23 – A 45-minute visit for complaints about patients being improperly restrained. The staff was ordered to undergo more training.

February 25 – A surprise evaluation following complaints of patients coming up missing and a slew of calls to Davis Police.

January 10 – Complaints a patient wasn’t properly restrained – resulting in a broken arm.

January 2 – Another investigation about improper restraints with staff trying to prevent another teen from taking off.

FOX40 went to Families First to see get response to all the complaints filed against them. They said they would respond over the weekend.

As of now, the state is investigating.

Click here to see the entire batch of documents.”

Davis Group Home Subject of Many Recent Complaints

[Fox 40 6/8/13]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: Group home has license revoked.

“The state agency overseeing a Davis group home for youth under fire for sexual assault allegations and other incidents is seeking to revoke the license of FamiliesFirst Inc.

The California Department of Social Services (DSS) reports it has completed its investigation of the facility and is also seeking to have FamiliesFirst’s executive director and its clinical director/administrator excluded from any future employment or involvement with any facility it licenses.

The DSS petition for revocation of Families First’s license details its arguments for the request.

FamiliesFirst and the two executives named have 15 days to file a notice of defense to repeal the decision, said DSS spokesperson Michael Weston.

Weston says the children accused of sexual assaults and other abuse have been removed from the facility and additional staff put in place to ensure  the appropriate levels of care, safety and supervision is being provided for the children who reside there. The Department is also conducting daily monitoring of the facility.

Darrell Evora, the CEO of EMQ FamiliesFirst which operates the Davis home, made this statement in response to the license revocation:

Nothing is more important to FamiliesFirst than the safety of the children in our care and our long-standing reputation for programs recognized as some of the finest in California. We have received the complaint from the Department of Social Services and it is being reviewed currently. We plan to fully respond. We will defend the agency and its programs which serve some of the most challenging children. This matter is now in litigation, and we do not discuss pending litigation. We will continue to work with CCL to make improvements and plans of correction at the facility.

DSS is one of several agencies looking into the group home on 5th Street. Last week, Davis police said two boys, ages 13 and 14, who lived at the home, were taken into custody for allegedly raping a younger girl from the home. Police said the assault did not take place at the home. When police announced the incident, they said they had been called more than 500 times since the first of the year to Families First.

The sheer number of calls to police reveal a disturbing pattern and raise questions about the care at the Families First group home in Davis. News10 looked at other “Level 14” youth homes to see how that number compares.

• Milhouse Treatment Center in Nevada City averaged 1.8 calls per person
• Milhouse Treatment center in Sacramento averaged 2.6 calls per person
• Summitview Child Treatment Center in Placervillle averaged .75 calls per person

FamiliesFirst in Davis averaged at least 7.1 calls per person. That is nearly three times the number of the next highest facility, News10 found. 

“I just think the whole thing is very tragic and very sad. I think Families First in its best concept is something we really need and if it’s not fulfilling the purpose of it, then I’m glad it’s being investigated,” said Cindi Parente, a former Davis resident.

FamiliesFirst serves youth diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. The level 14 facility treats some of the most troubled and at-risk kids.

Thursday night, Bill Kramer explained the trouble he encountered with some of the kids from FamiliesFirst. He lives right across the street from the group home.

“We’ve had them in our courtyard running away–across the street there in our courtyard where I live,” Kramer described. “We’ve had them up on the roof, threatening to commit suicide.”

When he heard about the legal action taken to revoke the home’s operating license, he said, “I’d be very happy with that.””

Davis FamiliesFirst group home to lose license

[News 10  6/14/13 by C. Johnson, Suzanne Phan and Michael Bott]

Update 2: “The head of EMQ FamiliesFirst, owner of the embattled Davis group home the state is seeking to shut, vowed Friday to fight.

“We will be appealing the accusation,” Darrell Evora, CEO of the Campbell-based nonprofit, said during an afternoon press conference at a UC Davis hotel.”

[Sacramento Bee 6/15/13 by Richard Chang]

“FamiliesFirst CEO Darrell Evora called a news conference Friday to insist that the license for his Davis facility has not been revoked, at least not yet.”

“Evora introduced a consultant he hired to make improvements he hopes will result in a successful appeal of the complaint by DSS. However, he repeatedly refused to discuss the allegations against FamiliesFirst.”

Troubled Davis group home will implement reforms hoping to appeal move to revoke license

[News 10 6/14/13 by Gabriel Roxas]

Update 3:

“EMQ FamiliesFirst, owner of a Davis group home that cared for two teenagers arrested on suspicion of raping a girl in a nearby park, said Friday it bears no responsibility for what its children do beyond its campus.

In appeal, Davis group home denies responsibilty for youth crimes

[The Sacramento Bee 6/22/13 by Richard Chang]

“EMQ FamiliesFirst, the embattled group home operator, has faced dozens of complaints in recent years at its youth facilities in Davis and Los Gatos, according to state documents obtained by The Bee.

At the nonprofit’s Los Gatos group home, minutes away from its Campbell headquarters, the state Department of Social Services concluded in late 2011 that a staff member had sexually abused a client. A few months later, an agency inspector found that two residents at the group home had “sexual contact with each other” on two to three occasions.

In Davis, in 2010, a child was placed in a “quiet room” overnight for 8 1/2 hours “without a bed, food and water, and was denied the right to use the restroom,” according to licensing records.

“When the client asked to use the restroom, the staff gave client a bucket and told client to use it,” DSS investigator Zenobia Bradley wrote in a report. It was one of numerous incidents in which staff members were found to have violated the rights of residents.

State regulators began their latest investigation at the Davis home after two male residents, ages 13 and 14, were arrested June 5 on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old female resident at a nearby park. The three were unsupervised at the time.

Citing the rape and other examples of illegal behavior by youth residents in the Davis community, the Department of Social Services announced June 13 that it was revoking the group home’s license and moving to shut the facility.

About a week before the sexual assault allegedly occurred, officials met with the home administrator, Audrie Meyer, to discuss issues with children leaving the campus without permission.

“It is advised that the facility immediately hire additional staff and have a higher level of supervision,” DSS inspector Ashley Sinclaire wrote on May 23.

A similar meeting took place in February, but the documents show no substantial action was taken to address the deficiencies. During the six-month period leading up to the alleged rape, Davis police responded to more than 500 service calls involving the home, including 100 runaways.

“Sadly, this is part of being in the business,” EMQ FamiliesFirst spokeswoman Kristine Austin said of the complaints. “We are legally required to report every incident to licensing. Everyone wants to make sure the kids are protected.”

On Friday, EMQ FamiliesFirst formally appealed the state’s closure order, calling the agency’s actions “an arbitrary and discriminatory application of regulations and laws.” The nonprofit contends it should not be held responsible for its residents’ off-campus behavior and that under state law it cannot force children to remain at the home.

Separately, EMQ FamiliesFirst faces a lawsuit alleging the nonprofit was negligent in allowing a counselor to molest children at its Los Gatos campus. In one incident, a 12-year-old girl living at the group home in 2009 was allegedly forced to perform oral sex on a counselor, according to the lawsuit filed in Santa Clara Superior Court. The suspect is in jail, awaiting trial.

EMQ FamiliesFirst declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing litigation.

The nonprofit operates youth care facilities in 33 California counties.

Statewide, EMQ FamiliesFirst employs 1,400 and serves 18,000 children and their family members. The Davis and Los Gatos properties are the firm’s only group homes offering around-the-clock care for youths up to 17 years old. Other facilities operate services that include a crisis nursery, addiction prevention and adoption placement.

The organization has grown through various mergers of care providers, the most recent in 2009 between Campbell-based EMQ and Davis-based FamiliesFirst Inc.

EMQ traces its roots to two organizations founded in the 19th century, Eastfield Home of Benevolence (1867) and Ming Quong Presbyterian Mission Home (1874). The two merged in 1987.

FamiliesFirst was founded by Evelyn Praul in 1974 as the Praul Center in Davis. The facility won accolades for being one of the best in the region and soon expanded into other parts of the state.

EMQ FamiliesFirst had an operating budget of $103 million in 2010, and it paid CEO Darrell Evora a salary of $277,893, according to documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

The nonprofit receives $9,419 a month for each child housed in its two group homes, according to DSS. About 38 residents are at the Davis location, down from 63 when DSS began its investigation after the alleged rape. The Los Gatos property is licensed to serve 20 residents. The state sets the rates based on the level of care provided to clients, with federal, state and county funds largely footing the bill.

Industry experts say running a group home is difficult and that the children who live there usually have a history of behavioral problems. Many are foster children, while others have had previous run-ins with the law.

“Family difficulties and problems lead to their removal to group homes,” said Joe Spector, a psychologist who has worked with group homes. “There’s abuse and neglect.”

Walter Grubbs, the last CEO at FamiliesFirst, orchestrated the merger into what is known today as EMQ FamiliesFirst.

Grubbs said he was “surprised and saddened” by the recent controversy.

“Knowing the people there, I wouldn’t think this would happen,” he said.

Licensing records show the Davis facility received far more complaints after FamiliesFirst merged with EMQ. Two years before the merger, a DSS inspector wrote that the “facility was found in substantial compliance” during an annual inspection.

Earlier this year, Sinclaire found that the facility was in “disarray.””

The Public Eye: Davis group home company had sex allegations at second site

[The Sacramento Bee 6/23/13 by Richard Chang]

“Davis Police say investigations into the alleged rapes have revealed “a spider web of allegations and incidents.”

“We’ve uncovered physical assaults, shoplifting, theft,” said Glen Glasgow of Davis PD. “We’ve arrested two other residents of FamiliesFirst for assault with a deadly weapon.””

Davis group home to fight license revocation after rapes

[Daily Democrat 6/23/13]

Update 4: “Yolo County officials revoked the mental health certification for EMQ FamiliesFirst last week in another blow for the group home operator that has been fighting to hold onto its Davis license.

EMQ FamiliesFirst has faced scrutiny ever since two of its teenage residents, 13 and 14, were arrested last month on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl who also lived at the Davis group home. EMQ FamiliesFirst is appealing a closure order issued by the Department of Social Services on June 13.

As of Friday, 14 residents remained at the facility, down from 63 before the allegations came to light.

Kim Suderman, director of the Yolo County Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health, said Friday that the county’s action was part of an annual review process. It disqualifies the Davis facility as a level 14 group home provider, the highest classification possible.

Without the certification, she said the operator would no longer get the full $9,419 monthly payment it received for each child in its care. But she noted that day-to-day operations – including administering mental health programs – would not be affected.

“They are still licensed as a group home,” Suderman said. “This only affects their reimbursement.”

California Department of Social Services spokesman Michael Weston said in an email that the county’s actions will force EMQ FamiliesFirst to “apply for a new rate classification level.”

EMQ FamiliesFirst issued a statement, saying that it was reviewing the county’s action.

In a Wednesday letter to EMQ FamiliesFirst, Suderman said the group home failed 10 of 11 certification requirements. Among them: no on-call staff list, no 24-hour-a-day psychiatrist availability and no one-to-one staffing capability.

The county reviewed the group home on June 20 and 24 and asked questions about the deficiencies in a June 26 interview, according to the letter.

The group home’s treatment plan instructed staff to contact Davis police for “all transportation” during emergency psychiatric hospital visits, the letter stated.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Suderman said of the plan. “You should only be calling law enforcement when you cannot transport children safely.”

Davis police have responded to more than 500 calls for service from the group home this year, including 100 calls when residents ran away.

The group home is licensed by the state, but it must receive county approval for its mental health treatment program to become a level 14 facility, Suderman said. The state sets rates based on the level of care provided to clients, with federal, state and county funds largely footing the bill.

Over half of California’s 1,101 group homes are rated at level 12 and are paid $8,309 a month per child, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. Altogether, the state’s group homes have capacity for 10,989 residents.

“It makes financial sense to qualify for a higher level,” said Eric Harper, a child welfare analyst at LAO.

Taxpayers paid about $635 million in 2011-12 to group home operators statewide, according to data from LAO and county governments. Other foster care venues cost far less than group homes, LAO data shows. County-licensed foster homes are paid an average of $957 a month per child, while private agency homes are paid $2,056 a month. Group homes, on the other hand, cost taxpayers an average of $7,900.

Group home advocates contend the costs are necessary.

“Twenty-four-hour supervision is very expensive to do,” said Carroll Schroeder, executive director of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services. The advocacy group has 120 member organizations – including EMQ FamiliesFirst – that serve vulnerable youths across the state.

Harper said the state has convened discussions to revamp the child welfare system, with recommendations to the Legislature expected in October 2014.”

The Public Eye: Yolo revokes Davis group home’s top certification

[The Sacramento Bee7/7/13 by Richard Chang]

Update 5: Now a former employee is suing EMQ.

“A lawsuit has been filed against a Davis group home that’s being shut down, by a former employee who says his concerns got him fired.

“I made it clear that there was a potentially dangerous situation.”

But instead of listening, teacher Robert Oldham says his former employer Families First fired him.

“They must have thought they could make more money off of it.”

To save money, Robert says the embattled Davis group home reduced staff at the home to dangerously low levels.

He’s now filed a lawsuit against EMQ Families First, claiming he was terminated because managers were tired of him expressing his concerns.

“They didn’t want to hear it.”

He claims the group home told him he was actually being let go after improperly blocking an assault from a student. He says there was no investigation.

The suit comes just months after the state Department of Social Services decided to start the process of shutting down Families First. The state action followed two reported sexual assaults, involving children who should have been better supervised.

And at the end of May, state investigators blamed problems on low staff levels. Robert says he tried.

Mary Alice Coleman is Oldham’s attorney.

“He was put at risk, but other staff members and students were at risk.”

For Robert, he says his firing has left him unable to be hired elsewhere, but he’s also worried about the kids.

“I want them to get better. I don’t want them to get hurt.””

Former Families First Employee Sues Embattled Davis Group Home

[CBS Sacramento  7/17/13 by Derek Shore]

Update 6: “Earlier this summer, EMQ FamiliesFirst served 63 children with mental health issues and employed 120 staff members to operate its Davis group home on Fifth Street.

The reputation of the group home imploded in early June, however, with reports of unsupervised children, sexual assaults, 100 runaways and more than 500 calls for service to the Davis Police Department.

With state regulators cracking down and counties pulling children out, EMQ FamiliesFirst’s Davis facility has gone into a precipitous decline.

Today it has six children.

At the group home Thursday, staff could be seen going in and out of buildings, but the parking lot was noticeably emptier. Children were nowhere to be seen. A security guard watched over the entrance, blocking media from entering the property.

A day earlier, the nonprofit announced it was laying off 77 staff members, but insisted it is continuing to comply with state regulations and to appeal its license revocation.

Some residents in Davis believe the writing is on the wall.

Mike Phillips, who lives nearby and once saw children from the group home “running amok” on the streets, said it’s inevitable that the home will close.

“The story is done. It would have been great if they did it right,” Phillips said.

EMQ FamiliesFirst spokeswoman Kristine Austin said in an email that the layoffs reflected the decline in the number of clients.

“We simply can’t afford to carry that number of people without more children being referred to the program,” she said

At one point, the facility hosted children from 25 counties. After numerous allegations of misconduct, counties throughout the state rushed to pull their children from the home. Sacramento, Placer and Fresno counties removed a total of seven children within a week of the allegations.

The California Department of Social Services yanked the facility’s license June 13. Yolo County followed suit and revoked the home’s mental health certification July 3.

EMQ FamiliesFirst formally appealed the revocation order June 21, denying that the state had jurisdiction over events that occur outside the campus. A state administrative court judge is scheduled to review the appeal June 9, 2014.

EMQ FamiliesFirst waived its right to have a hearing within 90 days. If the judge sides with the nonprofit, the state still could reject the ruling and close the facility anyway, DSS spokesman Michael Weston said.

At that point, EMQ FamiliesFirst could sue the department in civil court, he said.

Weston wouldn’t comment on the layoffs but said the facility remains “under increased enforcement.”

“They have adequate staffing,” he said. “They are only required to keep staff for the number of children they have in care.”

The required ratio is three adults to 10 children for three shifts around the clock. With 43 staff remaining, the nonprofit is well within the guidelines.

The nonprofit receives $9,419 a month for each child age 6 to 14 housed at the group home, according to DSS.

EMQ FamiliesFirst operates 33 youth care facilities in California and another group home in Los Gatos. It had an operating budget of $103 million in 2010, and it paid CEO Darrell Evora a salary of $277,893, according to documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

The juvenile facility made headlines in June after Davis police arrested two of its teen residents, ages 13 and 14, on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl, also a client, at a nearby park. Davis police responded to more than 500 calls for assistance from the group home earlier this year. Police also documented 100 cases of minors going AWOL.

Davis Mayor Joe Krovoza, who previously said the city’s hands were tied because the facility reported to the state, called the layoffs “terribly unfortunate.”

“Can we find a way for the community to be fully protected and for the services to be delivered?” he asked.”

Davis group home announces major staff layoffs

[Sacramento Bee 8/2/13 by Richard Chang]

Update 7/September 18, 2013

“Three months ago, EMQ FamiliesFirst served 63 children with mental health issues at its sprawling Davis group home on Fifth Street.

Today, it serves zero.

The facility was a ghost town Tuesday, with only a handful of staff members remaining. The laughter of children on the playground was replaced by the chirping of birds. Classrooms and dormitories lay deserted, as a cluster of desks stood watch over the largely empty parking lot.

The last child at the group home left Sept. 3, according to the state Department of Social Services – the agency that moved to revoke the facility’s license this summer when allegations of sexual assaults, unsupervised children and dozens of runaways were reported to the Davis Police Department.

While nearby residents and other community care advocates declared that the home’s future is seriously in doubt, a spokeswoman for the Los Gatos nonprofit insisted that it still intends to operate the Davis facility

“I can’t speak to all of our plans because quite frankly, it hinges on a settlement with licensing,” spokeswoman Kristine Austin said. “As long as the license is in question, we are in a holding pattern. Once that is settled, the goal is to have children referred into the program.”

Carroll Schroeder, executive director for the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, called the revocation order a “death mark.”

“Counties were removing kids because of political pressure from press reports and licensing. The revocation action in effect closed the place,” he said.

Davis elected officials are watching the episode play out.

“We’re in a wait-and-see mode,” Davis Mayor Joe Krovoza said. “The hurricane has come through, and we’ve cleaned up most of the mess.”

Krovoza said he would like to see children return, but emphasized the need for local oversight to prevent a repeat of history.

The California Department of Social Services yanked the facility’s license June 13. Yolo County followed suit and revoked the home’s mental health certification July 3.

EMQ FamiliesFirst formally appealed the revocation order June 21, denying that the state had jurisdiction over events that occur outside the campus. A state administrative court judge is set to hear the appeal in June.

Meanwhile, the agency’s licensing issues had a immediate effect.

At its height, EMQ FamiliesFirst hosted children from 25 counties and employed 120 staff members to care for them. After the allegations of misconduct surfaced, counties throughout the state rushed to pull their children from the home. Sacramento, Placer and Fresno counties removed a total of seven children within a week of the news. By the end of July, the number of residents dropped to a half dozen children.

EMQ FamiliesFirst announced a bruising round of layoffs, cutting 77 staff from its roster.

The organization had received $9,419 a month for each child age 6 to 14 housed at the group home, according to DSS.

The rapid decline for the group home began in June after Davis police arrested two of its teen residents, ages 13 and 14, on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl, also a client, at a nearby park. In the six months leading up to the incident, police responded to more than 500 calls for assistance from the group home and documented 100 cases of runaways.

DSS spokesman Michael Weston said Tuesday that the agency doesn’t require a minimum amount of children for a facility to stay licensed.

“You don’t need to have children to stay licensed,” he said.

The hearing next June could become a high-stakes battle. If the judge sides with the nonprofit, the state still could reject the ruling and close the facility for good, Weston said. At that point, EMQ FamiliesFirst could sue the department in civil court, he said.

EMQ FamiliesFirst operates 33 youth care facilities in California and another group home in Los Gatos. It had an operating budget of $103 million in 2010, according to documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service.”

No children left in troubled Davis group home

[Sacramento Bee 9/10/13 by Richard Chang]

Update 8/September 21, 2013 EMQ group home closes.

“A Davis group home has closed after months of turmoil, resulting in the layoffs of 42 employees, according to KCRA.

Yolo County cut off funding to EMQ FamiliesFirst, located off Fifth Street, in July, after finding procedural, staffing and other programs in its yearly mental health certification review.

The lack of certification did not require the facility to close. However, the state Department of Social Services had previously revoked the group home’s license and has ordered it to close following last month’s arrest of two teenage residents on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old female resident. The alleged acts occurred while several young residents were off campus without permission, police said.

FamiliesFirst initially sought to fight the ruling and attempt to stay open but the number of residents eventually dwindled.”

Davis group home FamiliesFirst closing

[Daily Democrat 9/21/13]

Update 9/September 24

“A former employee of a Davis group home that is closing it’s doors said the administration was careless with its money and rough with the youth at the facility.

“There were a lot of people at FamiliesFirst, at this facility, who really, really cared about the kids and who really helped them,” said Emily Meehan, who worked for the group home from 2011 to 2012. She worked at the facility after graduating from UC Davis and before she began her graduate studies at the University.

EMQ FamiliesFirst announced Friday it was laying off the last 42 employees at it’s Davis group home just four months after allegations of sexual assaults and other misbehavior in the community by the young clients.

“We recognize how painful this decision is for employees who are being laid off and their families,” FamiliesFirst CEO Darrell Evora said in a statement. “We reached this decision as a result of there being no children currently in the program.”

Evora added, “We must always be good stewards of charitable dollars and do what is in the best long-term interest of all the children and families we serve throughout the state.”

Meehan claims the agency did not use its funding wisely.

“The administration were just a bunch of people that were taking the state’s money and just doing as little as possible,” she said.

Meehan said FamiliesFirst spend heavily for outside counselors to come in for DTI, or Day Treatment Intensive, effectively doubling up the number of staff needed for simple programs.

“A whole other counseling staff comes in and works at the same time as the residential counseling staff just to have the kids, like play volleyball, or other simple activities,” Meehan said.

She also took issue with, what she described as, “the excessive use of restraint for younger children.”

“They were always restraining kids. And they weren’t hurting them when they were restraining them because we did it in a safe way, we were trained, but it’s just, like, so punitive,” Meehan explained. “Just let him go outside and vent. You don’t have to go run and put two guys on him and hold him down on the ground 30 minutes.”

Meehan said a new Community Care Licensing rule, which prohibited the counseling staff from restraining kids who want to leave the campus, led to hundreds of calls to the Davis Police Department at the facility.

“All the kids just left. They were stoked,” Meehan said. “They just went into Davis and just ran around town and wreaked havoc.”

Meanwhile, she said administrators were often absent.

“They were not even in their office most of the time. It was hard to even find them,” Meehan added.

A request to talk to administrators still at the facility was turned down.

Neighbors said they are relieved the group home is closing.

“[The kids] leave there and they’d come over here and you’ve got four or five people holding them down on the ground. I’m sorry, that is unacceptable as far as I’m concerned,” said Judy Davis, who lives across the street from the group home.

Meehan said she believes our society is also to blame for the issues faced by the youngsters the social welfare system is meant to serve.

“I think the child welfare system is burdened with an enormous number of children who are being neglected or abused and we don’t know, as a society, how to deal with this.””

‘Excessive’ restraint just one problem at Davis group home, ex-employee says

[News 10 9/21/13 by Dave Marquis]