Modern communication can be a wonderful thing.
Where David is concerned, I make it a point to let staff know that they can reach out to me, any time, day or night. I also encourage communication via email.
I encourage email communication more than anything because it allows both sides to keep a record of what happens, what is said, and so forth.
Today I received mail from our state Institution Complaint Investigating Department.
Turns out an incident occurred five months ago that involved my son. Staff put their hands on my son. In any other setting, it would be considered harmless, but we are talking about a psychiatric care facility here. Turns out there was some nipple twisting going on. Enough to cause redness and light bruising.
I was not informed of the incident until today.
I was not informed that the incident involved staff.
I was not informed that my son was one key component in the investigation in part because it HAPPENED to him.
I was not informed that there was an investigation. Thus, I was not able to be present while the investigator spoke with my child.
I contacted our Care Coordinator who is independent of the facility, and that office didn’t know about the investigation either.
Can we say that I am a bit frustrated?
On Monday, David is being transferred to a sister facility in a community closer to our home. This will allow easier access to him, and a trip of 90 miles rather than 200.
I am frustrated because, while the incident may have been “horsing around”, there is an element of trust that has been broken. Truly, it isn’t that difficult to keep parents informed. After all, I am not an ogre. Our family has shown a desire to work with the facility and David to have his care be as successful as possible.
Communication and transparency are keys components to David’s continued success. That’s not asking too much is it?