How Could You? Hall of Shame-Van Vleck House-Child Death UPDATED
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 Jackson ,Wyoming, “Police are investigating the death of a student at Van Vleck House this week.
Teton Youth and Family Services, which runs the facility, confirmed the death Friday.
The student, whose identity, age and gender were withheld by authorities, was found unresponsive just after 10 p.m. Thursday, according to Teton Youth and Family Services and call logs from Teton County Dispatch.
Staff members discovered the student and began resuscitation efforts, which all of the organization’s staff members are trained to perform.
The student could not be revived.
The Jackson Police Department is investigating the matter to determine whether a crime was committed, Lt. Cole Nethercott said.
“At this point there are no leads that suggest that is the case,” Nethercott said Monday.
Teton Youth and Family Services spokeswoman Sarah Cavallaro issued a statement on her organization’s behalf, confirming the death and giving scant detail due to the age of the student.
“This is a terrible tragedy,” Cavallaro said. “We’ve been meeting with the student’s mother, and we’ve let her know that we share her grief, and we’re doing whatever we can to support her and other family members.”
Cavallaro also said her organization is assisting the police “in any way possible.”
“Members of the TYFS staff and community grief counselors [are] working with other residents of the group home to help them deal with the tragedy,” Cavallaro said.
Police also declined to give details of the death or the student due to the age of the deceased and the ongoing nature of the investigation. They referred all questions to Teton County Coroner Brent Blue.
A call to Blue on Tuesday went unanswered.
Van Vleck House, one of three programs that Teton Youth and Family operates, serves students between the ages of 10 and 18.
The goal is provide a temporary living arrangement and a “safe and structured environment” for children in those age groups facing struggles at home.
Residents are usually placed at the group home via a court order in juvenile court, according to the Van Vleck House’s website.
Students considered for admission are able to attend public school, and do not exhibit severe risk factors, including a recent history of violent episodes, active suicidal tendencies or severe medical or psychiatric conditions that are not stabilized, the website says.”
Death at Van Vleck under investigation [Jackson Hole News and Guide 7/1/15 by Emma Breyesse]
“Operations at a Jackson group home are still suspended nearly two months after a student died at the facility.
Representatives of the Wyoming Department of Family Services confirmed this week that an ongoing investigation has stalled most services at Van Vleck House.
The department began reviewing operations at Van Vleck House, a long-term residential placement for at-risk youth, following the student’s death June 25. Initial police reports indicated the death was the result of either self-harm or an accident.
Students have been pulled from the Van Vleck House and relocated to other crisis shelters in the state.
A Teton Youth and Family Services spokeswoman says they have been cooperating with officials during the state’s investigation and are hoping to resume services soon.”
Jackson group home still closed after student’s death [Caspar Star Tribune 8/19/15]
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Update:“The Van Vleck House group home has reopened after Teton Youth and Family Services reached an agreement with the state to renew its license.
Van Vleck House, the agency’s residential facility for at-risk youth ages 10 to 18, has been closed for nearly four months while the Wyoming Department of Family Services looked into the suicide of a 16-year-old male student.
The young man died in June, sparking the investigation and suspending operations at Van Vleck.
Teton Youth and Family Services announced Tuesday that the facility is operational once more.
“Teton Youth and Family Services’ Van Vleck Group Home has reopened following an internal and external review of services after a 16-year-old student took his life there,” reads a statement sent out by spokeswoman Sarah Cavallero. “This heartbreaking incident affected everyone at TYFS. We want to assure the families we serve and our supporters that we are working harder than ever to safeguard our students.”
The state’s investigation, which was not made available by press time, resulted in a temporary suspension of Van Vleck’s operations.
Department Deputy Director Tony Lewis said he was unable to provide information about the conclusions of the investigation by press time.
“What I can say at this point is that the board of that organization was very responsive, very engaged in doing what you do when you have a major injury or fatality in a home,” he said. “They have reopened and they will be under monitoring for the next six months as part of an agreement that they wrote with us, and that’s really all I can say at this point.”
Other than that, information from the department was not available due to the need for the state Attorney General’s Office to examine relevant documents and clear them for public release, he said.
The state investigation included two angles, one looking into whether Van Vleck violated the terms of its license to provide child care and one examining whether child abuse or neglect played any part in the death.
Only the information regarding Van Vleck’s license can be made public, which should happen as soon as a legal review is complete, Lewis said.
Teton Youth and Family’s own internal investigation into the matter found no fault in the Van Vleck House’s policies or procedures, Cavallaro said.
“There was no reason for anyone to be suspicious of us,” she said. “Our review made it very clear that we have followed what we set out to do in providing excellent services to our students.”
As a result of the internal investigation, Teton Youth and Family Services determined that it would conduct random periodic checks of its case files to determine whether their policies and procedures were being followed in individual cases, Cavallaro said.
The investigation also examined policies and the paperwork used in case files to ensure they met state standards, she said.
“Our focus has been to review our organizational policies, procedures and operations to ensure we are providing the highest quality service to youth and families in crisis,” Cavallaro said. “We worked with the Department of Family Services to further strengthen our organization. We are grateful to have resumed Group Home services for young people in Jackson and neighboring communities, where the need for the services remains strong.”
The Adams Canyon Crisis Shelter was briefly closed as part of the investigation, but received permission to reopen early on.
Other Teton Youth and Family Services facilities, including the Hirschfield Center for Children, Red Top Meadows residential treatment facility and the activities of the Jackson Hole Leadership Program were not affected by the investigation and remained open during the four months Van Vleck was closed.”
Van Vleck is reopened after suicide inquiry [Jackson Hole News and Guide 10/21/15 by Emma Breyesse]
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