DUBUQUE – Iowa Senate President Pam Jochum said Thursday that she is “disappointed in what has gone on” at a juvenile home for girls in Toledo Iowa.
“I am disappointed in what has gone on and what I have learned about how Governor Branstad and the Department of Human Services managed the facility,” Jochum said of the Toledo, Iowa home for troubled youths. It has been reported that young girls were kept at the facility for long periods of time in solitary confinement.
On Wednesday, an Iowa judge ordered that the Toledo home be re-opened, and blasted Governor Branstad for closing the home arbitrarily.
“I serve on a committee looking into the abrupt decisions surrounding the closure of the Iowa Juvenile Home and the troubled children who received care at the facility,” Jochum said. “Now that a judge has overturned Governor Branstad’s decision to close the Home, I will be working to reform and restructure the state’s efforts to more effectively and compassionately help young people, their families and their communities.”
tamatoledonews.com Chronicle/John Speer
At full capacity, the Iowa Juvenile Home could serve 57 youth ages 12 to 18, by employing a staff of 114. Its $10.5 million SFY2014 budget came almost entirely from the state general fund. The facility had 93 employees in December, 2013.
According to the Iowa Department of Human Services, the Iowa Juvenile Home’s use of seclusion and restraint as emergency measures for children with severe aggressive, self-injurious, combative or destructive behavior has been under examination. New methods of de-escalating behavior through relationship building, behavior analysis and trauma-informed care resulted in a 93 percent reduction in the use of seclusion measures from October 2012 to October 2013.
Can’t be any more disappointing than the juvenile court officers in MC
Abuses have been occurring at State institutions and private “care” facilities for decades. Don’t act so surprised sweetheart.