State seeks more control of shelter

David Kihara and Mark Hansel

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2006 | 12:34 p.m.

The state of Nevada is pushing for more oversight of Clark County's Child Haven emergency foster care shelter, which is overflowing and eliciting concerns about child safety.

Lawmakers say they want to exert more control by requiring Child Haven to be licensed by the state. That step could lead to regular inspections and ease crowding by establishing limits on the number of children allowed to stay there.

"For too long, we've allowed our facilities to operate without checks and balances," said Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno. "We just assume a state or county facility is going to be appropriately run. What we've learned in recent years is that we need to pay close attention."

Child Haven suffers from crowding because of a booming foster care population and a lack of appropriate foster placements.

The shelter falls into a void in the state licensing apparatus. It is an emergency facility for children who are removed from their homes. But it is not a foster home, a child care facility or a long-term care home - all facilities that do require state licenses.

"They don't fit neatly into a licensing category," said Anne Uccelli, spokeswoman for the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services, the state agency working with the county to license Child Haven.

"They want to be licensed and we want them to be licensed," she said.

Susan Klein-Rothschild, director of family services for Clark County, admits the crowding has created challenges, but she said the shelter is adequately staffed and maintained.

"There have been instances where we have had children in mattresses on the floor," Klein-Rothschild said. "But we have always passed our inspections" from the county health district and the fire department.

Gary Peck, executive director of the ACLU Nevada Chapter, said despite those claims, the combination of crowding and a lack of appropriate oversight has made Child Haven unsafe.

"Every single day kids rights are being violated and it is an unacceptable situation," Peck said. "The problems are deep, pervasive and systemic."

Peck did not offer specific examples to back those assertions. The ACLU has partnered with the National Youth Law Center to ensure concerns about care at the facility are resolved, he said, adding that the ACLU would consider legal action if all else fails.

"We would prefer to work with the authorities to avoid going to court, but we are actively exploring litigation," Peck said.

He pointed to recent high-profile incidents as proof that there are serious problems at the facility.

Last month runaways from the facility ransacked a school on the grounds and caused more than $23,000 in damages before fleeing the grounds.

Authorities also recently admitted that some children were bullied by others who had been placed at Child Haven after leaving the juvenile justice system. Officials say that the bullying was limited to intimidation and threats.

"Never at any time in the last three years at least, has there been an incident with kids hurting other kids," Klein-Rothschild said.

The county recognizes that some independent oversight is needed at Child Haven. Currently, the Department of Family Services is working with the county fire department to inspect Child Haven at least twice a year. Inspectors with the County's Health District also perform inspections of the facility. Klein-Rothschild said the county also wants to establish maximum occupancies at some of the Child Haven cottages as well as further defining ratios for the number of staff to kids.

She acknowledged that setting those limits might solve administrative problems, while creating real-world dilemmas.

"Right now we won't turn a child away if they do not have a safe home to go to," said Klein Rothschild. "If we set limits on our population at Child Haven it will be a real challenge to continue doing that."

David Kihara can be reached at 259-2330 or at Davidk@lasvegassun.com. Mark Hansel can be reached at 259-4085 or at mark.hansel@lasvegassun.com.