State revokes license of EMQ FamiliesFirst troubled group home in Davis
rchang@sacbee.com
PUBLISHED THURSDAY, JUN. 13, 2013
The California Department of Social Services has revoked EMQ FamiliesFirst's license to operate its Davis group home, the agency announced this afternoon in a statement.
"The department is revoking the license," DSS spokesman Michael Weston said. "We served them papers."
The FamiliesFirst group home in Davis was the subject of intense scrutiny after multiple sexual assault allegations surfaced last week at the facility. Two teenage boys, ages 13 and 14, were arrested by Davis police last Wednesday on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl. All three minors lived at the home in the 2100 block of Fifth Street. Police are now investigating approximately half a dozen cases of sexual assault stemming from the facility, according to Assistant Chief Darren Pytel.
Police have responded to more than 500 calls for service from the facility this year and have documented more than 100 cases of runaways from the home.
The DSS complaint alleges violation of personal rights, lack of supervision, inadequate staffing as reasons for revoking the license.
In addition to revoking the license for EMQ FamiliesFirst, the Department of Social Services also opted to exclude both FamiliesFirst's clinical director and executive director from future employment with any facility licensed by the agency.
EMQ FamiliesFirst has 15 days to respond to the revocation, before the facility is shut down, according to Weston.
"They're open right now because they have an appeal right," he said.
In a strongly worded statement, Campbell-based EMQ FamiliesFirst said it would "fully respond" to the revocation, noting that it had a "long-standing reputation for programs recognized as some of the finest in California."
"We will defend the agency and its programs which serve some of the most challenging children," the statement said.
The nonprofit operates similar facilities in 33 counties across California.
Davis Mayor Joe Krovoza said he was "pleased that the state has taken the matter seriously."
"Given what's happened, if there's talk of another facility, we would certainly approach it with a fresh set of perspectives," Krovoza said.
The California Office of Administrative Hearings would hear the appeals if they are filed.
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Davis youth home tied to alleged rape has troubled past
rchang@sacbee.com
PUBLISHED SATURDAY, JUN. 08, 2013
The home for youths in Davis where two teen boys were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl has been the target of numerous complaints to the state Department of Social Services over the past two years.
The rape, allegedly taking place over the weekend at a park, is the latest in a string of controversies to plague the facility owned by EMQ FamiliesFirst, according to documents the department released to The Bee on Friday.
In January, a Department of Social Services investigator reported that a child's arm was broken in two places as a result of being physically restrained – even though the child's behavior did not warrant a restraint.
The most recent complaint, dated May 21, alleges that children at the home were inadequately supervised.
"It has been established that clients are AWOLing and physically acting out at a significant rate, causing concern for staff, other residents and the community at large," Ashley Sinclaire, an inspector for the Department of Social Services, wrote in a report.
The report recommends increasing the staff-to-client ratio to three staff members for every 10 children.
"Anytime we get a complaint, the department will visit the facility within 10 days," said Michael Weston, spokesman for the Department of Social Services. "These are very serious circumstances."
Kristine Austin, spokeswoman for Campbell-based EMQ FamiliesFirst, said she was unaware of the complaints, but released a written statement.
"We've already increased our staffing to address issues in the investigation. … We've also revised our plan for responding to children who attempt to leave the facility without permission," the statement said.
The circumstances of the alleged rape remain unclear, but police said the boys, who are 13 and 14, lived in the group home on the 2100 block of Fifth Street with the alleged victim. Authorities said the juveniles are supposed to be supervised at all times, but none of the FamiliesFirst staff was present when the incident allegedly occurred.
First licensed in 1995, the home has capacity for 72 people, but Austin said as of Friday, 40 people lived there. Most of the minors have "special needs" and have been placed there by family members or courts, according to police.
Davis police have fielded more than 500 service calls from the facility this year. In addition, more than 100 reports of juveniles running away from the home have been documented.
"It's an enormous drain on resources," Davis police Lt. Paul Doroshov said.
Investigators said they have uncovered other alleged crimes by group home residents, including sexual offenses, shoplifting and theft.
EMQ FamiliesFirst operates in more than 30 counties across California and is "one of the largest, most comprehensive mental health treatment programs in the country," according to its website.
Separately, the organization is being sued by a San Jose law firm alleging the nonprofit was negligent in allowing a counselor to molest children at its Los Gatos facility.
In one case, a 12-year-old girl living at the Bay Area home was allegedly forced to perform oral sex on a FamiliesFirst counselor, according to the lawsuit filed in Santa Clara Superior Court.
"We do not comment on active litigation," Austin said of the lawsuit.
"EMQ is simply not staffing itself properly to protect the children," said attorney Robert Allard, who is suing the nonprofit in two separate cases.
No criminal charges have been filed against FamiliesFirst or its staffers in the Davis case.
Weston said Friday his department would take the "appropriate action" once the investigation is complete.
Call The Bee's Richard Chang, (916) 321-1018. Follow him on Twitter @RichardYChang.
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Owner vows to fix problems at Davis home for troubled youths
rchang@sacbee.com
PUBLISHED SUNDAY, JUN. 09, 2013
The owner of a youth home in Davis where two teen boys were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl vowed Saturday to "fix the problems" at the juvenile facility.
"We go to great lengths to keep our children safe," said EMQ FamiliesFirst CEO Darrell Evora during an interview with The Bee at the group home.
Evora made the trip to Davis on Saturday following a media frenzy after allegations of the sexual assault surfaced last week.
Police said two boys, ages 13 and 14, raped the girl last weekend at a park. All three minors lived at the home and were not under staff supervision at the time of the alleged incident, officials said.
Evora offered few details about the incident, citing ongoing investigations by Davis police and the state Department of Social Services, which licenses the facility.
"Once they complete their investigations, we'll initiate our own internal review," Evora said, adding that no staff members have been suspended or fired so far.
In addition, he said, the organization will hire an outside expert to conduct an independent probe of the program.
The sprawling facility in the 2100 block of Fifth Street houses children who have some sort of mental health diagnosis, Evora said.
The alleged rape was the latest in a long list of controversies to rock the facility.
Just in the last two weeks, Davis police said they arrested several children from the home for "serious assault offenses." The facility also has been the target of numerous complaints to the DSS.
A department investigator reported in January that a child's arm was broken in two places as a result of being physically restrained by staff members – even though the child's behavior did not warrant restraint.
Davis police said the facility had placed more than 500 calls for service this year, including 100 calls for children who had gone AWOL.
"I find that number surprising," Evora said. "We've always met minimum license requirements for staffing."
Neighbor Mike Phillips said he has seen children from the facility "horsing around in the middle of the street."
"They were running amok," Phillips said. "They're just out of control."
Evora noted that staff members are not allowed to restrain clients or prevent them from leaving the campus unless there is "imminent danger."
"I can follow you, but we can't have big tall fences with razor wire," Evora said.
Campbell-based EMQ FamiliesFirst operates in more than 30 counties across the state. The residential programs are typically funded by county governments and private donations.
Evora said no youths have gone AWOL since the facility put in new measures – including increased staffing – early last week.
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