Page 21 - Delaware Lawyer - Spring 2022

Delaware is not the only state that must rely on facilities in its sis- ter states that are willing to accept placement of teens with significant mental, medical and behavioral needs. However, these facilities, along with other residential facilities marketed for teens, have been subjected to increasing scrutiny and concern in recent years.11 Legislation is pend- ing in different states and federally to improve the regulatory oversight for facilities housing teens for the pur- pose of treatment and rehabilitation.
Shortly before this article went to print, the Governor announced a plan to dedicate a portion of the Build Back Better funds from the federal government to the renovation of a facility to provide mental health services to teens.12 That facility is expected to have a limited number of emergency
and short-term beds available to reduce Delaware’s need to rely on out-of-state facilities for teen mental health and behavioral services. Hopefully this effort will continue to shine a light on the need for teen mental health care that Commissioner Young brought forward over 16 years ago.
NOTES
1. Loretta Young, Juvenile Legal, Clini- cal, and System Issues, 24 Delaware Lawyer 8 (2006).
2. Delaware Family Court Criminal Rule 44.1 Appointment of Counsel for Juve- niles. See also Order Amending Rule 44 and Adding Rule 44.1 of the Family Court Rules of Criminal Procedure (April 10, 2017).
3. Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, 29 Del. C. §§ 9001-9020 (2022).
4. 29 Del. C. § 9006(1).
5. 29 Del. C. § 9006(2).
6. 29 Del. C. § 9006(3).
7. State, City Leaders Announce Group
Violence Intervention (GVI) Project in Wilmington, Delaware News (July 30, 2019) (available at https://news.delaware. gov/2019/07/30/state-city-leaders-an- nounce-group-violence-intervention-gvi- project-in-wilmington).
8. For example, in Northeast Wilmington there is The Warehouse, teenwarehouse. org; and in the heart of downtown Wilm- ington there is the Center for Structural Equity, structuralequity.org. This is far from a complete list of the community- based organizations improving the pros- pects of teens in Wilmington and else- where.
9. More information available at https:// dcjustice.org/our-programs.
10. See supra n1 at 10.
11. Accountability for Congregate Care Act, Beau Biden Foundation for the Pro- tection of Children (available at https:// www.beaubidenfoundation.org/blog/ acca).
12. Governor Carney, Lt. Governor Hall- Long, DSCYF Announce $16 Million Investment for Vulnerable Delawareans, (available at https://news.delaware. gov/2022/04/26/governor-carney- lt-governor-hall-long-dscyf-announce- 16-million-investment-for-vulnerable- delawareans).
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