Caitlyn Connelly

The biggest challenge I'm seeing right now is that we're just housing these kids in what are essentially mini jails. All the residential nonprofits around here have closed down since COVID - the ones that were actually trying to rehabilitate these kids, not just throw them in a locked room all day and restrain them. These facilities aren't using therapy, verbal de-escalation skills, or trauma-informed approaches. All these kids are the way they are because they have been through more than we can imagine, and they're kids. You have to be those people they can rely on because they don't have that, and we have to be consistent. The problem is training. It's all about the training. If you would just train properly and use models like Sanctuary, you can see real change. We saw a reduction in restraints by 80% when we implemented it properly. But instead, kids are dying in restraints every year, and it's so unnecessary. We're re-traumatizing kids every time we restrain them, and we're getting staff injured too. The culture has to change - you have to be a team, commit together, because these kids are watching everything about us. They read our body language, our movements, our actions. When the right people are there with proper training, it's a completely different environment. It's possible, it's not the kids - but nobody listens, or they're afraid to speak up.

The most important value to me is keeping my promises and not quitting on these kids. I have notes from them that remind me every day not to quit. They matter, and somebody has to be their voice, somebody has to do it. I believe in being consistent and being someone they can rely on, because these kids don't have that. You have to be a team and support each other, know you have each other's back, especially when you're working residential 24-7. I've always been part of cultures that were like second families. I believe in doing the right thing even when it's hard - I've left positions and spoken up about abuse even knowing I'd be blackballed, because I wanted to be heard and not just look like a disgruntled worker. This work is my purpose, my calling. It's what I get up for. Every position I've had from the beginning has shaped me, and I hope to carry that forward. Even though this last year has been the hardest and most disappointing, with roadblocks everywhere, I can't quit. Those kids were good kids, and they deserve better.