Kings PROB The BRANCH SYTF CI (2025-2026 inspection cycle)

Initial Inspection Report 2025-2026 Biennial Inspection Cycle Date of Exit Briefing/Notice of Noncompliance: 8/12/2025 Inspection Type: Comprehensive County: Kings Facility Name: Kings The BRANCH Secure Youth Treatment Facility BSCC #: 7176 BSCC Type: Secure Youth Treatment Facility Facility Representative(s): Wendi Dibble, Deputy Chief BSCC Field Representative: Shay Molennor CAP Day 60 – Maximum Statutory CAP Due/Approval Date: 10/11/2025 Maximum Statutory Resolution Date: 01/9/2026 Current Items of Noncompliance Title 15. Section Description The facility is budgeted for 64 youth supervision and supervisory positions; currently there are only 23 youth supervision staff available to work with youth. Fifteen of these budgeted positions are on leave status or light duty and are unable to work with youth. In addition, the agency has two Senior Juvenile Services Officers, 24 Juvenile Services Officers, and two support clerk positions vacant. The lack of available staff impacts the delivery of required services, efficient management of the facility, and affects compliance with additional regulations. Section 1321(a) requires adequate staffing for all § 1321. Staffing. operations, programming, activities and functions of the facility to occur and to ensure the safety and security of staff. The following operations of the facility are directly impacted by a lack of staff. • Mental Health: During our interview with the Mental Health Administrator, BSCC staff were informed that the mental health clinician was not able to see youth for five (5) days due to a lack of staff. We were advised that they had to complete interruption of services documentation and are currently tracking when they are unable to provide services due to a lack of staff. In addition, mental health staff advised us of overall Kings County Initial Inspection Report Page 2 Title 15. Section Description safety and security concerns, including that their practitioners don’t feel safe with the youth based on the lack of available youth supervision staff and staff’s ability to manage youth’s behavior while they are providing mental health care. • Medical: The Nurse Practitioner advised BSCC staff that they were recently unable to see youth until the late afternoon; the reason they were given by probation was lack of staff. As they are only on site one day of week, it is critical they see the youth as scheduled not to interrupt any services. • Education: Education staff advised BSCC that there is not enough facility staff available during school hours to assist educational staff in managing disruptive youth. The facility is out of compliance with section 1361, Grievances and 1371, Recreation, Programs and Exercise because grievances are not freely accessible, youth were using the forms inappropriately, and youth rip the facility schedule (as required in section 1371) off the walls; both of these situations are a result of the lack of adequate staffing. In addition to the lack of staffing addressed by facility collaborative partners, facility staff indicated a lack of staffing primarily on the swing shift. BSCC reviewed incident reports that indicate that youth on youth fights, youth on youth assaults and youth on staff assaults are common occurrences. This lack of staffing also impacts Section 1321(g), as the facility’s lack of clerical, maintenance, recreational, and other support staff impact the efficient management of the facility. • Efficient operation of the facility: The tracking system of youth grievances has been impacted due to a lack of supervisory or clerical staff oversight. During our review of documentation, we found that all grievances from the month of February 2025 are missing and the tracking logs are disorganized and lack clarity and consistency. In addition, the youth did not have Kings County Initial Inspection Report Page 3 Title 15. Section Description free access to grievances as facility administration indicated youth would take the available forms and use them to damage the facility, such as stuffing them in the toilets, resulting in the flooding of rooms. Appropriate supervision of youth with adequate staffing could mitigate the abuse of the grievance system and adequate supervisory and clerical staff could ensure appropriate auditing and storage of youth grievances. • Facility Sanitation, Safety and Maintenance: Though many parts of the facility were not remodeled as part of the SB 81 project, the areas which were remodeled are already showing signs of wear and damage. The youth have peeled the decorative paint in the living units and common spaces leaving large sections of damage. In addition, the overall cleanliness of bathrooms, living units, common spaces and offices are in need of attention. Facility staff along with youth are tasked with cleaning. However, due to short staffing and lack of additional support services staff, many areas of the facility are unclean. The youth did not have free access to the grievance § 1361. Grievance Procedure. form as required by 1361(a). The program, recreation and exercise schedule was § 1371. Programs, Recreation, and Exercise. not posted in the living units as required by 1371.