Orangewood Trend Good

The efforts of the Orange County Social Services Agency to move abused or neglected children out of the county’s temporary shelter and into a more family-like setting appear to be successful and reflect good policy.

This year’s Orange County Grand Jury studied the operations at Orangewood, the home for children who have been removed from their families. The average daily population of the home in 1998 was 234, nearly capacity. The 1999 figure was 110. The average length of stay in 1998 was close to a month; in 1999 it fell to around 20 days.

Those are encouraging statistics. Removing a child from home should be a last resort, but unfortunately there are occasions when it is necessary. If parents are unable to care for their children or even are abusive, there is no choice but to find youngsters somewhere else to live.

The first choice is relatives willing to care for the children. If that is impractical, there are group homes, foster homes and Orangewood.

For many years Orangewood enjoyed a fine reputation. However, several years ago a commission concluded that some children at the facility were being improperly prescribed drugs. Later inquiries indicated the situation had improved. But no matter how fine the staff or how good the conditions, life is better in a caring family than in an institution.

A problem with moving children out of Orangewood or other group homes has been the long-standing dearth of foster parents in the county. Last year the county began giving foster parents help. Thanks to more than $100,000 in federal funds, foster parents were provided with helpers to assist children with tasks such as homework or to drive them to and from medical appointments.

That kind of assistance can go a long way in enlisting more foster parents. It is especially welcome when couples are caring for two or more children or those with special needs.

The Orangewood Children’s Foundation, which has done good work in providing funds for the facility, two years ago joined with Cal State Fullerton for a program called Guardian Scholars.

When children reach age 18, they are turned loose from the foster care system. Some have trouble adjusting to life on their own. The Guardian Scholars program provides mentors and financial support to undergraduates at the college who have left foster care. So far 14 students are part of the program and it is expected to grow larger.

One beneficiary this year was Becky McGraw, who had a child at 14 and later moved with her son into the Florence Crittenton home in Fullerton, where she finished high school. At 18 she was forced to leave, but managed to juggle a job, a young child and college, emerging with her degree last month.

The transition from a foster home or a group home or Orangewood into a world of work or school is difficult for those without a family’s emotional and often financial support. Orangewood has made efforts to have those who left the facility return and give advice to the teenagers still there.

Although the grand jury concluded that because of the drop in the number of children at Orangewood, the facility is overstaffed, paring the number of workers prematurely would be unwise. The facility has seen its population ebb and flow drastically during its 15 years of operation. If anything, as the grand jury notes, counselors at Orangewood could be facing more difficult days. New state law has required children of preschool age to be moved out of institutions like Orangewood more quickly than in the past. That increases the average age of remaining residents, and thus shifts more focus to the needs of older children. Some have mental or emotional problems that require extra attention. That, in turn, increases the need for continuing education of Orangewood’s staff.

Orangewood replaced the run-down Albert Sitton home in 1985 after Orange County residents responded generously to a fund-raising effort.

The private foundation continues to raise money to keep the buildings in good shape and operating well. The facility and the foundation provide a good example of a public-private partnership.

County social workers and other staff have done a good job at the facility. They should keep on track, seeking to get children into good homes as quickly as possible, making Orangewood an emergency stopgap.