‘County Probes Orangewood Child Shelter’

In writing in response to the article about Orangewood Children’s Home (March 31): I, too, worked for Orangewood Children’s Home for five years and recently resigned to work elsewhere in the county. As I read the article, I wondered where these staff members where when this so-called abuse and ridicule was going on.

It is my understanding and assumption that every counselor, social worker and staff member is trained on the how, why, when, where, and who of child abuse reporting. In fact, we are not only trained, we are mandated to report any incident that we witness or a child reports to us, no matter how trivial we feel it is. It is not up to any individual to make a judgement call and disregard reporting a possible serious incident.

When a Child Abuse Report is written, not only is it turned in to Orangewood administrators, but it is also turned into the Child Abuse Registry Agency at the same time. This system creates a natural check-and-balance system for the facility.

In addressing the qualifications of staff, in order to be hired, you have to have both educational and work experience with children. Most of the staff members have bachelor’s degrees in a behavioral science. Many have master’s degrees and are working toward obtaining Ph.Ds.

Yes, I agree that Orangewood could offer more training experiences for their staff, but budget cuts in all social services areas by our state and federal government make this a low priority in most agencies.

In considering all of the factors that make Orangewood a home away from home to so many children, I congratulate the efforts of all the staff members and administration who continue to give these children a special place to live, one that promotes trust and self-esteem, possible for the first time in their lives.

SHARYN BAKER

Laguna Beach