Probation officer recognized
Shane McLaughlin never met the late George M. Bratcher III — the longtime Chester County juvenile probation officer for whom an award for distinguished service to county youth is named— but in learning about him he noticed several things the two had in common.
Overall, there was the desire to work with young people and a passion for engagement, going beyond the mundane tasks of a juvenile probation officer and attempting to make a difference in the lives of those teenagers who find themselves in turmoil. But additionally, they both had dreams of being school teachers at some point in their lives, and harbored a goal of working with youth.
And then there were the letters of interest from the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos to play in the NFL, McLaughlin told those assembled in Courtroom One of the county Justice Center earlier this month to receive the George M. Bratcher Award for Juvenile Probation Officer of the Year. Oh, wait aminute. “One of those might have just been George,” he quipped.
McLaughlin was honored on Oct. 3 before a packed courtroom with his family and fiends, co-workers, and a number of county officials and Common Pleas Court judges. The award is given to the professional who best exemplifies Bratcher’s interactions with young people and families and who display strength and kindness and a belief in the importance of giving personal attention to youth, community service, volunteering and connecting youth with positive role models.
McLaughlin, of Chiches- ter, Delaware County, has worked for the county Juvenile Probation Department since 2014. A graduate of West Chester University, in his remarks he praised the predecessor who gave almost 40 years of his life as a probation officer and supervisor here in the county.
“(Bratcher) utilized strength and kindness and his approach was more respectful than harsh,” McLaugjlin declared.
“And that’s what I really think this award is about,” he said. “It’s about recognizing and remembering that this job is aboutmore than showing up to work, responding to violations, and getting all your paperwork done. It’s about doing what we can to affect real change in the lives of the kids and families that we work with while at the same time treating them with the respect and understanding that they deserve as people, just asGeorge did. And at the end of the day, if you have an award winning personality likeGeorge, then that’s a bonus.”
McLaughling said that he came to the office “because I wanted to work with kids that needed a push in the right direction. And I also wanted to instill a sense of trust and comfort into the youth and families that enter our system. In the time I have been here, it has certainly been rewarding. The job has its moments, but every once in a while you see change occur in a youth’s life and it makes it worth it.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t an amazing feeling to be nominated for this award by my peers, so many of which I have such great admiration for. And for those of you that knew George, I hope I’ve earned the right to be standing up here today, accepting this award in his name.”
The ceremony also served as a time when new juvenile probation officers were for- mally sworn in, and when established colleagues were honored for their years of service. The work of the office’s Youth Law Enforcement Initiative, in which teenagers meet police officers in neutral territory to talk about each other’s perspectives in the absence of tension, was discussed. It is part of the county’s Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) initiative. To date, two forums have been successfully convened in Coatesville with area youth and police representatives from Caln, Coatesville, Oxford, Parkesburg, PSP Embreeville, South Coatesville, Valley, West Chester, and West Goshen
The program, started in 2017, will continue with sessions with local police in 2018.
In addition, a former probation client was given the “Choices Award” named in honor of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers volunteer Cheryl Nichols, who dedicated 20 years to working with Juvenile Court and the Juvenile Probation Department. The award is given to a deserving individual who progressed successfully through the system.
“J.H.” came to the department when he was 14 and had been charged with assault after a series of family conflicts. Although initially resistant of authority, over the months J.H. began to change, according to the presentation. He became involved in a youth group and went on a two-week mission trip to Haiti in the summer of 2016while also managing to work two jobs and participate in aftercare services. After turning 18, his case was closed and he entered college at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont in the fall of 2016.