Listen in as host Serena Vasudeva talks about Alegend Jones, who died in November during a two month stay at Rose Center. Alegend was placed in a restraint before she was rushed to the hospital. Youth Villages, the organization that owns Rose Center, has claimed that no abusive actions took place. Her family is currently being represented by Attorney Ben Crump. 

This story is developing and updates will be posted as more information is released. If you have any information about Alegend Jones or would like to voice your opinion, please reach out to exfostervoice@gmail.com.

Read about Cornelius Fredrick- https://www.10tv.com/article/news/investigations/10-investigates/ohio-sends-children-to-out-of-state-treatment-facilities-with-histories-of-alleged-abuse/530-028d21dc-452b-4c79-bb1d-e80c3bad28ec 

Read CPI’s blog post- https://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/physical-restraints-as-a-last-resort#:~:text=CPI%20teaches%20that%20restraints%20are,a%20strong%20de-escalation%20plan.

Read the Youth Villages statement as well as this episode’s sources here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TU2B_rwT0RUEm8auyWznNAy0x8dR_klt?usp=sharing 

Listen in as “Taylor” talks about her experience doing restraints in an adult residential facility. Though she never worked with children, her interview gives insight to the restraint training process and how restraints affect those who carry them out. 

“Taylor” believes that a hospital setting can affect the need for restraints and suggests that facilities should be made into more livable places. “Taylor” and Serena talked about the need for an apology when a restraint goes wrong. 

Names have been changed to protect the identity of patients. “Taylor” has decided to remain anonymous out of fear of social and economic consequences. 

Read about reducing restraints here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20857886/#:~:text=Restraint%20and%20seclusion%20are%20associated,identified%2C%20implemented%2C%20and%20reported. 

Host’s note: Excuse the squeaky chairs! This episode marks the end of season 1, which was produced as an undergraduate honors thesis at MTSU. Season 2 will pick up and be produced in January independently of the thesis process. The hiatus is so I can focus on school and work as the semester ramps up. I will still be responding to emails.

Listen in as Adrienna Irick shines a light on the conditions inside four different Youth Villages Placements: Inner Harbour, Dogwood, Wallace Group Home and Rose Center. In more restrictive placements such as Inner Harbour, Rose Center and Dogwood, residents are considered too high risk for public school. Instead, they attend facility schools run by Youth Villages. Adrienna described the schools as inadequate and lacking ACT preparation. 

In facilities where cottages and courtyards can have many residents, Adrienna felt staff were too busy with others to address her emotional needs. Her testimony offers feedback for staff wishing to make a positive impact on foster teens in residentials and group homes. 

Adrienna came out in foster care and alleges staff at her facilities made negative comments about her sexuality. These comments came from the same staff hired to help her manage her mental health and empowered to restrain her. 

Host note: At times during this episode, Rose Center is referred to as G-Cert. Rose Center’s old name was Girl’s Center and was colloquially known as “G-Cert” during part of our stay in Youth Villages. Rose center also has courtyards, not cottages. This mix-up comes from my familiarity with Bartlett, which has cottages. 

Excuse the poor audio quality on this episode- Adrienna was unavailable for a re-recording. 

Listen in as Michelle and Delaney Cain talk about their experiences with the foster system and adoption. Navy veteran and adoptive mom Michelle has experienced living with PTSD first hand. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, or EMDR, reduced her flashbacks and helped her recover. When she became an adoptive mom to Delaney, she paved the way for her to receive EMDR for her PTSD as well. 

Delaney, an adoptee, gives insight into the practices of multiple residentials including Mountain Youth Academy, Parkwood Behavioral Health Systems, and Rose Center. Though these residentials are meant to provide mental health services for foster children, Delaney’s testimony reveals allegedly chaotic and unstable environments. Delaney shared what strategies helped make her adoption a success. 

Both Delaney and Serena lived at Wallace Group home together before Delaney’s adoption and shared memories about the placement. 

Michelle’s interview takes place from 0:00 to 1:13. Delaney’s portion takes place from 1:13 onward. 

Read about sibling groups and placement stability here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7357603/ 

Read about PTSD rates in foster care here: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4114143/

Read about the previous riot at Mountain Youth Academy: https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/mountain-youth-academy-staff-injured-after-6-youths-start-riot/

Access the Youth Villages handbook and the job description for a foster care specialist here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kkCLjXu1Y0InTW3kwIJzQpLXwuheWBq3?usp=sharing

Listen in as Heaven Hampton, an ex-foster youth, talks about her experience in four different Youth Villages foster homes across Tennessee. She entered care at 15 with two younger siblings. Even though her older sister had already been placed in foster care, visitations were never scheduled and they were never placed together. Fearing further separation, Heaven began parenting her siblings to prevent disruptions. In the face of mistreatment by her foster families, she was ignored by her DCS caseworker. Heaven believes life skills such as digital literacy and driving should be prioritized by foster parents. 

Despite foster care regulations mandating children and teens have beds to sleep on, Serena and Heaven talked about their experiences with couches being used as beds. 

The names of foster parents in this episode have been altered. 

Financial disclosure: Since the recording of this episode, Serena has received monetary assistance through Youth Connections’ Opportunity Passport in order to buy a car. The assistance she received was not dependent on favorable coverage.

Listen in as Melissa Nelson, who was adopted at birth, describes how adoption can be a blessing and a curse. While her own experience being adopted went well, her childhood in activism exposed her to other adoptees who were treated poorly. Melissa went on to work for CASA for two years. She shared an inside look at family court and the injustice it can cause. 

Host Serena Vasudeva is a current Middle Tennessee State University student majoring in journalism and double minoring in mass communication and honors. She entered foster care at 16 and aged out with the hopes of bettering the system for those she left behind. This podcast is part of her undergraduate creative thesis. She can be reached at exfostervoice@gmail.com 

Listen in as Sammie Stewart shares part of her experience being adopted by her CASA worker. At twelve years old, she faced a fork in the road: accept her adoption offer or stay in foster care. Feeling her age would prevent her from getting another chance, she moved in with her new family only to be torn from her older sisters, “Megan” and “Sadie.” She describes the adoption process as dehumanizing and isolating while suggesting ways that it could be improved.

Host Serena Vasudeva is a current Middle Tennessee State University student majoring in journalism and double minoring in mass communication and honors. She entered foster care at 16 and aged out with the hopes of bettering the system for those she left behind. This podcast is part of her undergraduate creative thesis. She can be reached at exfostervoice@gmail.com 

Listen in as Dr. Vickie Harden, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University, talks about her experience working for DCS in the '80s and '90s. She provides practical advice for foster parents as well as insight into the history of DCS. During the time she worked for the department, many foster teens were sent to mental hospitals due to a lack of alternative placements. She shared the story of one teenager, “Audrey,” who had the longest stay in a mental hospital on record in the state of Tennessee. 

Host Serena Vasudeva is a current Middle Tennessee State University student majoring in journalism and double minoring in mass communication and honors. She entered foster care at 16 and aged out with the hopes of bettering the system for those she left behind. This podcast is part of her undergraduate creative thesis. She can be reached at exfostervoice@gmail.com