Branstad implementing task force ideas at Toledo juvenile home

Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday that his administration is proceeding with changes suggested by a task force to downsize and repurpose the Iowa Juvenile Home as a girls-only facility in Toledo.

“It's our intention to implement the recommendations of that task force,” Branstad told reporters at his weekly news conference.

Last month a five-member panel appointed by Branstad offered 10 proposed changes at the Toledo home that included making it a girls-only facility subject to third-party oversight with revamped cottages that address residents' needs while closing current “control” and “seclusion” rooms that have drawn controversy.

Branstad said the boys are being phased out at the facility with only two still being served, while expectations are that up to 20 girls will remain at the facility. He did not indicate any plans were in the works to upgrade facilities at the Toledo campus.

“The needs of these delinquent girls - that's got to be our focus,” the governor said.

Task force members advised state officials to consider a 20-bed “placement of last resort” for delinquent girls similar to the Eldora boys' training school operated by the state or private sector, and to create a funding mechanism to allow private providers to serve minors in need of assistance in private alternative settings near the homes of the youth involved.

The panel also encouraged the courts to require guardians, care workers and juvenile officers to keep closer tabs on the fragile children. Task force members recommended year-round educational services for the school's residents operated on the campus but by a local school district with “sufficient” funding, not by the state Department of Human Services – something Branstad said might be handled by the South Tama School District and the local Area Education Agency.

Branstad's comments followed a plea by state Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center, who represents the Toledo area, for the governor to consult with “legislative leaders and other interested parties” before deciding what should happen with the facility.

Sodders said Monday he was disappointed that the governor appears to be proceeding without consultation with the Legislature and he hoped the Senate's Oversight Committee might look into the situation once lawmakers reconvene in January.

“My concern is that he's going to shut the facility down and what do we do with all of these children? This really needs to be a broader conversation than just the governor's office,” Sodders said. “This is all conjecture.”

Branstad said the task force “did not specifically” make a recommendation on what ultimately should be done with facility for delinquent juveniles who either have criminal records or are foster kids who cannot be placed in a foster home.

“We need to look at and decide what's the most appropriate setting, whether it continues to be Toledo or somewhere else,” Branstad said.