L.A. COUNTY PROBATION STAFF WORKING TO SERVE CLIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Staff assisting to keep facility clean at Central Juvenile Hall. Image of wrapped lunches.

Taking Extra Precaution 

On Monday, May 4th, the Los Angeles County Probation Department initiated procedures to test all new youth admitted to juvenile facilities for COVID-19.  The Department continues to take preventative measures to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. To combat the spread of the COVID-19, all youth, partner agency staff, Probation officers, and outside visitors are required to wear face masks inside juvenile facilities. Extra cleaning measures are in place in which any items the youth and staff are likely to encounter are wiped down multiple times during the day with county-approved disinfectant solutions.

The Department’s contracted food provider is also taking precautions and various safety methods to limit physical and airborne contact. Youth that are quarantined due to possible exposure by another youth or staff are separated into a different unit and the unit in question is cleaned and sanitized immediately.

Juvenile Court Health Services checks on the quarantined youth symptoms twice daily and coordinates with Probation on any concerns that arise. Youth who have tested positive will be housed in a designated isolation unit. If a youth from a camp tests positive, they will remain at the juvenile hall where they were tested and will be assigned to one of the designated units. The designated living units will only house positive youth and they will be kept separate and apart from other youth until cleared by medical staff to return to a traditional housing assignment. The designated living units will only house positive youth and they will be kept separate and apart from other youth until cleared by medical staff to return to a traditional housing assignment.

L.A. County Probation is proud of its front line heroes who show up every day to help youth and keep the Department’s facilities clean to benefit the health of all who work, live, and visit the County’s juvenile halls and camps.

Virtual visit station at Barry J. Nidorf

Youth Able to Connect with Family by Video in L.A. County Probation Facilities

Virtual visits are underway at Los Angeles County Probation juvenile halls. The Department is in the final phases of testing applications that will enable youth in juvenile camps to have virtual visits with parents or loved ones while in-person visitations remain suspended. Reconnecting youth with their families in ways that enhance and increase protective factors is a principal goal for the Department. 

While youth have been able to make multiple free extended phone calls, mobile phones and additional computers using secure applications, such as Google Duo and Microsoft Teams, have been deployed to expand the capacity for free phone calls.

Virtual visiting is now available for youth in halls. It is currently being tested in camps. Once the visits are available at a facility, a Departmental representative will be reaching out to parents/caregivers to provide instructions and schedule a virtual visit.
The secure applications are free and convenient for use on any laptop, desktop, tablet, or mobile device.

For youth housed at a hall or camp, this task is especially critical. The process of reconnecting youth with their families is accomplished through a variety of case management services that include virtual calls and teleconferencing. Structured, monitored, and goal-directed virtual contact is how case management activities can enable positive communication between youth and their families in the reunification process.

The Los Angeles County Probation Department continues to keep youth safe while offering opportunities for communication and connection to their families and others who support them.

Paintings made by the youth at Barry J. Nidorf

The Light in All the Darkness

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Behavioral Management Program (BMP) team at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall came up with some new ideas to keep the youth engaged and entertained. Staff thought about some of their personal experiences that they enjoyed and wanted to find an activity that the youth would enjoy.

One of the first projects was a guided paint session that was led by BMP staff. Teaching the youth to paint not only provided them with a welcome distraction, but the activity also taught them the importance of patience, listening, staying focused, and respecting others and their work. The staff enjoyed watching the youth so much that some joined in and participated with the youth, creating meaningful interactions.

As the youth and staff became engaged in the activity, there were many hidden talents discovered. There was a lot of laughter, helping one another, and an admiration of one another's work in the group. Determined facilitators also gained a new perspective and broader knowledge to make sure all the youth get to experience this simple but rewarding activity, with the participating youth looking forward to the next class.

The youth reactions and positive feedback only validated the staff's hard work and provided an excellent opportunity and inspiration to create more programs and activities.