Disability Rights Arkansas

Centers for Youth and Families Little Rock

*Photos taken by DRA staff during onsite monitoring visits. Photos reflect the most recent conditions observed by DRA staff but may not reflect the current conditions at the facility. If you are associated with a facility and have updated information or photos you would like to share, please contact DRA at [email protected]

Location: Little Rock, AR

Population Served: Youth ages 5-18

# of residents per unit: Up to 8 Residents per room: 1-3 Capacity: 82 beds (PRTF and residential)

Contact with family (Calls and visit schedule): Facility declined to provide specifics regarding call frequency or schedule

Restraint utilized? Yes Chemical Restraint utilized? Yes Seclusion utilized? No

Treatment Components

Clinical Director - LCSW

Therapists: Facility declined to identify, report number employed, or share credential status of any therapists.

Treatment modalities offered: Facility declined to identify any specific modalities available.

# of individual therapy sessions/week: Facility declined to provide a number or range.

# of group therapy sessions led by a licensed mental health professional/week: Facility declined to provide a number or range.

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PRLU or OLTC

Elopement, Licensing Follow Up, Notice of Incident

  • Licensing (Elopement)
    • Staff transported client to a dentist appointment, and when the appointment was done, client took off running while staff and client were returning to facility van. Other staff were notified to assist in the search, as well as police. At the time of this report, the client is still AWOL from facility.
    • Licensing follow-up: Client still AWOL as of 9/6/22. Facility reported on 10/14/22 that client did not return and will not be allowed to return to facility. Report received on 10/19/22 that the client was located at a Motel 6, naked, with an altered mental status. The client is now back in state custody.

Police Report

Runaway

Officers responded at approx. 12:32 pm for a runaway juvenile. Staff advised officers that juvenile ran away around 1200 hours while at a dental appt. Staff said they were walking to the vehicle when juvenile ran away. On 10/18/22, officer was dispatched for an overdose at a motel; Officer made contact with juvenile at motel, who was transported to the hospital.

Police Report

False Alarm

Officer responded to an alarm. Upon arrival, staff advised the alarm was false.

PRLU or OLTC

Licensing Follow Up, Notice of Incident, Self-Injury

  • Licensing (Self-inflicted Injury)
    • Client became dysregulated and punched a window several times. Client complained of pain and nurse noted minor swelling and some bruising to hand. Staff reevaluated after an hour, and client was sent to Ortho Arkansas. X-ray results: Fracture to right hand. Client’s hand was wrapped in a bandage, and client has a follow-up appointment with orthopedist in a week.
    • Licensing follow-up: Client remains at facility. Continue to monitor.

PRLU or OLTC

Monitor Visit, Visit Compliance Report

  • Licensing Specialist: Clayton DeBoer.
  • Buildings & Grounds conducted from 1pm – 3pm. Census: 64. Areas observed: Classrooms 1-3, Dorms 1-4, Destiny House (full buildings and grounds not completed due to ongoing issue with client), EMCC. MARs checked for 3 clients. Issues identified:
    • Dorm 2 – light switch plate was missing with exposed wires. Part of baseboard trim missing in 1 bedroom. Maintenance was called and addressing this on site. Facility reports baseboard has been ordered.
    • Dorm 3 – Graffiti seen on wall. T/A provided to ensure graffiti was cleaned in a timely manner.
    • Dorm 4 – Window trim pulled off. Sink battery needs to be changed out. Maintenance was called and addressing this on site.
    • EMCC – North dorm had standing water in shower and sink battery needing to be replaced; Facility reports plumber was called, and maintenance will replace batteries. South dorm had a hole in the shower curtain; Staff will get new shower curtain. East dorm had a hole in the ceiling with exposed wires; Facility reports they will cover the hole by conclusion of licensing visit and parts were ordered to repair hole.
  • Regs out of compliance –
    • 9.911.6 – All buildings and furnishings shall be safe, clean, and in good repair.
    • 9.912.4 – The bathroom shall be clean and sanitary.
  • TA –
    • 9.912.3 – There shall be an adequate supply of hot and cold running water.

Police Report

Battery Third Degree

Day Treatment – Staff advised he received a phone call from guardian who stated his son (J1) was battered by a peer in class. Officers made contact with J1 who advised J2 began bullying him on 8/25 by pouring water all over his clothing. J1 stated that today, he had a verbal altercation with another peer and J2 approached him and began punching him in the face & head multiple times. Officers observed several knots and bruises on J1s face. J1 was treated by the on-staff nurse.

Police Report

Information Report

Officers responded to an unknown trouble after dispatch received a 911 hangup call with no answer on call back. Upon arrival, staff stated everything was okay and that it must have been accidental due to her barely walking out of the facility and everything being okay.

Police Report

False Alarm

Officers responded for a burglar alarm. Upon arrival, staff advised that one of the students pressed the alarm button. Everything appeared secured.

PRLU or OLTC

Elopement, Licensing Follow Up, Notice of Incident

  • Licensing (Elopement)
    • Two clients breached a security door in the rear of the building at Destiny House and eloped after breaching a locked gate of the privacy fence outside. Police were notified, and staff were able to locate the first client within 5 minutes of eloping. The second client was located at a restaurant approximately 2 hours after eloping. Police returned client to campus.
    • Licensing follow-up: Specialist viewed video footage and observed staff attempting to intervene while clients kicked the door open. The breached door has the highest magnet power allowed for top and bottom magnet (1200lb test). The fence gate was inspected and was refastened with enforced steel with additional measures to decrease likelihood of elopement.

Police Report

Runaway

(Destiny’s House) Officers responded for 2 runaway juveniles at approx. 12:30pm. Upon arrival, staff advised J1 had been taken back into their care but J2 was still missing. J2 was located at approx. 1445 hours and returned to facility.

PRLU or OLTC

Accidental Injury, Licensing Follow Up, Notice of Incident

  • Licensing (Accidental Injury)
    • Client slipped in the shower and hit head on 8/16/22. Client was placed on neurological checks. Client reported a headache the next day after playing dodgeball and was taken to the ER.
    • Licensing follow-up: Nurse Manager indicated that if neurological checks were conducted with no cause for concern, it would be reasonable for client to be playing dodgeball the following day. All showers were inspected with no visible signs of a safety hazard. Client stated he mis-stepped on a lip at the edge of the shower and fell, and stated his head still hurt. ER order stated for client to take Tylenol/Ibuprofen every 6 hours as needed and to rest.

Police Report

Battery Third Degree, Terroristic Threatening Second Degree

Upon arrival, staff advised juveniles in the dorm were damaging property and had weapons. Several juveniles were outside of their rooms in verbal disturbances. J1 refused to return to her room and was transported to hospital for psychological evaluation. J2 was in safe room detained by staff, and officers observed J2 hit staff and threaten to stab staff with a screw she had in her fist. J2 was charged and transported to juvenile intake.

Police Report

Non Police Incident

Staff advised a child called 911 and police were not needed.

PRLU or OLTC

Compliant Visit, Monitor Visit, Visit Compliance Report

  • Licensing Specialist: Clayton DeBoer.
  • Buildings & Grounds conducted from 5:45pm – 6:45pm. EMAC, EMCC, and Destiny House inspected, staff/child ratios noted. EMAC Dorm 4 had a ratio of 1:9 – Staff indicated that the other staff member working in Dorm 4 was tending to another client thus was not present. The Program Director phoned Licensing Specialist conducting visit and stated there were 9 staff on the clock for EMAC during visit, and that she planned to visit facility immediately to rectify deficiency.
  • Regs out of compliance –
    • 9.907.3 – Staff/child ratio shall be at least 1:6 during waking hours and 1:8 during sleeping hours.

PRLU or OLTC

Complaint, Licensing Follow Up, Notice of Incident

Licensing (Complaint)

  • Complainant stated, “after two traumatic shifts I resigned from orientation, leaving mid shift” and felt in danger. Complainant stated they felt the children were also in danger, or at the very least, traumatized. Complainant reported scheduling issues, staff coming in late or not showing up, property destruction, and being misled about the nature of the job and level of violence in the workplace. During the first shift, the complainant reported 3 behavior emergencies in the 3 houses. During the second shift, a resident had a potential broken toe from kicking something and a resident was enroute to the hospital for potentially broken hands after punching something. Complainant reported nonstop screaming, yelling, kicking doors, and punching walls that continued for 2 hours. Children ran in circles, throwing tables and chairs. Some kids were trembling and hyperventilating. A punch to a kid’s jaw led to a swollen and immovable jaw with suspicion the jaw was broken. Staff stated this was a normal day.

  • Licensing follow-up: Incident reports and video were reviewed for all incidents at Destiny House on 8/10/22 & 8/11/22. Video showed no improper restraints from staff. Specialist visited Destiny House and noted small curse words written on the hall that staff began to clean immediately after it was brought to their attention. Facility cited 110.17 (2 clients were transported for x-rays on 8/11/22 and licensing was not notified).

Police Report

Non Police Incident

Officers spoke to employees on scene to confirm the juvenile returned.

Police Report

Runaway

Caller stated she just arrived at facility to bring juvenile that had been in a treatment center. While waiting to be let in, juvenile dropped his bags and ran. Officers were not able to locate juvenile. Juvenile was entered into all systems as a runaway.

PRLU or OLTC

Elopement, Notice of Incident

  • Elopement
    • Client was outside in the fenced area of Destiny House when client climbed to the top of the 16-foot privacy fence and eloped. Staff immediately called for help and began searching for client. The client was located less than 5 minutes away. The client, who is 18y/o and discharging from the facility on 08/10/22, said he was not sure why he ran away. No follow-up details.

PRLU or OLTC

Complaint Visit, Visit Compliance Report

  • Licensing Specialist: Clayton DeBoer.
  • Facility visited from 9:00am – 10:45am. Licensing conducted interviews and reviewed video of incident on 08/05/22. During an interview, individual stated they did not witness any inappropriate holds, nor a client being punched in the face by staff. Individual added that staff had sustained injuries from the incident, not clients.

Police Report

Non Police Incident

A resident of the facility called 911 and did not need services.

Police Report

Disturbance

Officers responded due to a Juvenile 1 being on the roof. Upon arrival, J1 was off roof and attempting to fight peers and staff. J1 was handcuffed and placed in patrol car; She stated she was fighting with peer and climbed onto the roof to get her shoe and to escape the facility. J2 advised someone set off a fire extinguisher so the dorm was evacuated; J2 stated everyone started fighting in courtyard, so she started fighting staff member. J2 stated staff punched her in the face after J2 hit staff first. J1 was transported to hospital.

Police Report

False or Unfounded Call

Employee advised call was a prank call and police were not needed.