The legislative committee formed to review recent allegations of improper restraint and seclusion at the Sununu Youth Services Center is expected to call for new leadership at the facility.
“There’s an extreme failure of the facility that falls squarely on the Bureau Chief,” a draft of a report, which was reviewed on Tuesday, states.
Bureau Chief Joshua Nye declined a request to appear before members of the committee, the lawmakers said, and has not responded to requests for comment from the Concord Monitor. An out-of-office email received last week indicated he was not working between the dates of May 7 and 20.
The scathing report, which is expected to be released later this week, focuses on allegations that have arisen publicly since March, when the Office of the Child Advocate reported concerns about the use of physical restraints on children, a weeks-long restriction on the children’s movement and limited educational instruction.
The legislative committee was formed to investigate those allegations, as well as others that have emerged since then. That investigation has proceeded alongside three others, conducted by the Office of the Child Advocate, the Disability Rights Center and the Office of the Attorney General.
The other three investigations remain ongoing.
Jake Leon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the department was “not in a position to comment on specific conclusions at this time” because the legislative committee’s report hadn’t been shared yet. He said the department was “cooperating fully” with the four investigations.
“DHHS is committed to the safety and well-being of the youth at SYSC and the staff who serve them,” Leon wrote, referring to the acronym for the Sununu Youth Services Center.
Nye began serving as the leader of the facility in January. Previously, he worked as the director of a mental health and substance use disorder center in Lowell, Mass., and as a therapist in private practice, according to his resume, which was shared with the Executive Council.
Nye’s tenure at the facility began just before an incident in late January that led to various restrictions being placed on the 15 children held there.
There is some dispute as to the nature of the incident. Marie Noonan, the director of the Division for Children, Youth and Families, testified before the legislative committee last week that staff found a utensil “fashioned into a very pointed edge.” She also reported that staff had sustained “significant” injuries.
In the aftermath of the late-January incident or incidents, children reported dissatisfaction with Nye’s leadership in interviews with staff from the Office of the Child Advocate, according to a letter from Child Advocate Cassandra Sanchez. The children said, for example, that Nye had committed to “bring school days back” but failed to do so.
The Disability Rights Center separately raised concerns about the use of illegal restraint practices.
Noonan, in her testimony last week, forcefully rejected many of the allegations that have been raised.
Members of the legislative committee expressed frustration with administrators at the facility.
“I think it’s pathetic that we’re in this position where we’re questioning: Can we trust people at SYSC?” Republican Rep. Kimberly Rice said.
In addition to Rice, the committee is composed of Republican Sen. Victoria Sullivan, Republican Rep. Jodi Nelson and Children’s Law Center of New Hampshire Executive Director Lisa Wolford.
On top of advocating for new leadership, the committee plans to urge DCYF to implement new training for staff on restraint and seclusion practices, install cameras with audio-recording capabilities in public areas of the facility and overhaul the incentive system for children, as well as several other recommendations.
The committee is expected to present its report on Friday during a meeting of the Oversight Commission on Children’s Services.
