Harsh Haven

MacLaren Hall, Los Angeles County’s emergency shelter for abused and neglected children, should be a haven against the harsh realities of unfortunate youngsters’ existence. It is not. It is overcrowded. It has teen-age delinquents mixed with victims of abuse and children with emotional problems. It lacks adequate treatment programs. It has too many untrained and sometimes uncaring staff members. It is, in short, a disgrace in a community that professes to value its children.

Months ago there was reason for optimism. The public spotlight had been turned on the inadequacies in existing services to protect youngsters, and the country Board of Supervisors created a new Department of Children’s Services in response. A new director was selected. Members of the Commission on Children’s Services were named to monitor the department.

Today the optimism has evaporated. Surprise visits to the center still have turned up questionable conditions and practices. The new director has resigned under fire. The Board of Supervisors has asked for a grand jury investigation into possible criminal activity by staff members.

It is definitely time to regroup; it is still possible to do so. A grand jury probe is not the only answer. The request may be turned down, and deals only with criminal charges in any event. At the suggestion of Supervisor Ed Edelman, the board directed its chief administrative officer’s special investigations unit to check conditions at MacLaren. This unit can deal with personnel and organization questions that are at the heart of the center’s problems and that would exist even after any flagrant law violators were dismissed.

Supervisor Kenneth Hahn also suggested that the board members and the Commission on Children’s Services sit down to share information and air any problems. While the commission has been known to go off on a tangent or straight to the press, it acts out of a deep commitment to children. The panel forms a hard-working constituency for children that has been lacking for too long in the county. Its concerns should be heard rather than hindered by fears that its powers or numbers will be diminished.

Finally, the board has before it now the task of selecting a new department head. There are several outstanding local candidates. It is imperative that the right person be selected this time. The board has a second chance. It must pick someone who will run a department that gives children a second chance when life has already been unfair to them once.