While many people believe a children’s home is the answer to the area’s foster care crisis, there are many challenges that come with running a facility. Scioto County has spent $8 million dollars so far this year caring for foster children, and Commissioners say part of the reason for that sky-high bill is that more and more children are in need of intensive services.
Lawrence County has a residential children’s home designed to care for children who need that extra attention due to behavior or neurological issues, and that comes at a high price tag with its own set of problems. This budget for the Necco facility in Pedro exceeds the $8 million Scioto County Budget, and it’s only the cost to care for the special needs children.
And as you’ve seen from SCDN’s recent reports, there are frequent complaints about abuse from children housed at the facility. Considering the nature of the issues facing the residents, this isn’t surprising, but officers still must respond and investigate every complaint.
Deputies returned to the home after a child claimed a staff member hit him in the face on the basketball court. However, when officers spoke to other staff members, they told him that the alleged assailant wasn’t on shift that day and hadn’t worked since the previous evening.
Officers were called back later in the day when a child claimed he was headbutted at dinner by a staff member. Staff members said the boy became upset during dinner and tried to punch one of them and they were forced to restrain the boy. They said the boy then headbutted a staff member.
While they taking that report, a staff member took a deputy aside to say he’d caught two boys having sexual relations in a time-out room. Officers said the acts appeared to be consensual but made note of the incident.
