Tough moments in youth group homes

In 2013, 1,199 serious occurrences were filed in Toronto, most from group homes involving children in the care of a children’s aid society. Others came from the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. Examples from the reports:

CASE 1

A girl of an unspecified age with a history of going missing, self-harming and “sexualized behaviour” was staying in a secure psychiatric treatment facility and was asked during a session with a teacher to “think about a time you were having a bad day.”

The girl revealed that a bad day for her was “when she lost her virginity and the boy she gave it to beat her up after.” She also reported that she was late returning home because of this, and that her father and sister beat her for being late.

Outcome: The children’s aid society was notified. It was decided that there would be no investigation. The file was closed.

CASE 2

A male in a rural group home cornered another male and had rocks in his hands. He refused to drop them and was put in a “control” position by staff and led to his cabin to “settle for the night.” He struggled at first, but then accepted the intervention.

Half an hour later, he was brought out to get nightly medication and instead of returning to his cabin, he entered a common room and “began antagonizing” peers, including the male he’d cornered. He was told to leave as he was causing a “negative contagion.”

Outcome: Another hold was used and the male “settled” for the night. He reportedly told staff that he “accepted” his role in the incident and that he intentionally targeted his peers “to get them angry.” Given one-on-one time with staff.

CASE 3

A girl of unknown age took off from a group home with some peers. A missing persons report was filed with police but the girl returned within hours. Police arrested her for breaching the conditions of her parole, and she was held to appear in court.

A week later, she went missing again during a shopping trip to get a hair product. There was no arrest this time. A week later she reportedly vandalized a group home van and went missing again. She was arrested and returned to the home.

After reportedly threatening to knock out a male staff member, she ended up in hospital for an assessment. No mental health concerns were noted, and she was charged with failing to comply and threatening the staff member. She was moved to a new home, but behavioural issues and running away continued. She reportedly started a fire and kicked in a door.

Outcome: She was arrested again and taken into custody.