Valley of the Moon Children’s Home Summary Professional staff provide counseling, health, and dental services. Care of

The Home appears to be an appropriate temporary place for minors to stay while their permanent residential status is being assessed and determined.

Although some minors‘ rights had been occasionally violated, the scope, severity and frequency of 3

The Home is effectively regulated and documented in Licensing’s public file of the monitored by the Community Care facility. Licensing Division of the California The Grand Jury toured the Home and found Department of Social Services and it to be clean, bright, attractive and in good inspected by the Sonoma County repair. Areas of the facility are set up so that Juvenile Justice Commission. minors in similar age groups and of the same

Administrative staff of the Sonoma gender reside together. The Home is unlike County Department of Human Services a single-family residence due to the nature and the Home are cooperative with of its congregate living. Meals, snacks and, and receptive to being evaluated by if needed, medications are provided. The outside agencies. minors have access to computers, books, games, televisions and outdoor recreational Recommendations areas. Housekeeping staff clean all areas of the facility daily. None Doors and gates are locked to prevent access to the Home from the outside rather Reports issued by the Civil Grand Jury do than to prevent minors from leaving the facility. not identify individuals interviewed. Penal Closed circuit television cameras allow staff Code Section 929 requires that reports of the to view outside areas of the Home; alarms will Civil Grand Jury not contain the names of any sound if outside gates are opened. Staff will person or facts leading to the identity of any not physically restrain a minor who chooses person who provides information to the Civil to leave. Instead, they will try to convince the Grand Jury. minor to return. If the minor refuses to return, and safety is an issue, staff will contact law enforcement. The staff person in charge of the minor’s living unit conducts a one-on-one exit interview with the minor just prior to discharge from the Home. Standardized questions are designed with the goal of providing the minor with opportunity to comment on his or her stay in the Home. The staff person completes the interview form for those younger minors who are unable to write. Older minors fill out their own forms. The Grand Jury reviewed forty-two exit interview forms, and found no comments or suggestions of material problems. Findings