LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) - State regulators will not revoke the operating license of a Lewiston facility for troubled children, allowing it to stay open.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare instead is not allowing new admissions at the Northwest Children’s Home and will require the facility to make major changes to protect its residents from offenses found in an investigation last year, The Lewiston Tribune reported Saturday (https://bit.ly/2nQorjV).
The investigation found the home’s residents were at risk of suffering from both physical and sexual assaults. Health and Welfare initially decided to revoke the home’s license, but after an appeal changed its ruling.
New admissions will be banned until the home’s next licensing survey in May. It is the second ban on admissions at the home since 2015.
“After carefully considering the information and proposal provided by the facility, the department will not proceed with the revocation of Northwest Children’s Home’s children’s residential care facility license,” Division of Licensing and Certification Administrator Tamara Prisock wrote in a letter announcing the actions.
The home has proposed a six-point plan of improvement to avoid a license revocation. Changes include replacing the department licensing agent after the children’s home said the current agent was carrying out a “vendetta” against it, implementing a staff position to reduce runaways and assaults, and updating policies to make sure residents are better supervised.
Home officials will be required to submit monthly progress reports to Therapeutic and Residential Programs Manager Eric Brown.
The home has until April 7 to appeal the Health and Welfare decision.
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Information from: Lewiston Tribune, https://www.lmtribune.com
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