Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 1989 — 'Ohana Pulama Program Cares For Troubled Youths' Needs [ARTICLE]

'Ohana Pulama Program Cares For Troubled Youths' Needs

Jane* was 15 years old when she first eame to live with the Aiona family. She had already been shifted between 30 different foster homes, in a twoyear period. Unfortunate, those homes were not prepared to deal with her special probIems. She eame from a background of sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. In her previous foster homes, she would lie, steal, drink heavily and intimidate the younger children in the home. She ran away continually. Finally, after several run-ins with the law, the courts decided to plaee Jane into the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF). Thoughts of killing herself possessed her until one day she attemped to commit suicide. The Aionas knew that helping Jane get her life back together would not be easy. They had little experience working with troubled children, except that they had raised four relatively "normal" children of their own. But Jane had special problems that required special skills. What made their home different from the many others that Jane had run away from? The Aionas are part of a program called Na 'Ohana Pulama, "families of light and nourishment," operated by Catholic Services to Families. Na 'Ohana Pulama provided them with intensive training in the types of skills they would need, such as communication, substance abuse intervention, skill teaching, community resources awareness and adolescent development. The staff consulted with the Aionas extensively about Jane's history and behavior problems. They discussed all of the possibilities. Together, they developed a treatment plan in conjunction with other mental health professionals involved in Jane's case. In addition, Mrs. Aiona meets regularly with a staff social worker, as well as with other parents in the program. A staff person is always on-eall if a crisis should arise. And, Mrs. Aiona receives a

monthly salary for her work, in addition to the standard room and board payment. "We eall them 'professional parents' because they are expected to treat the children," explains Warren Aoki, parent recruiter/trainer. "We are a treatment program, and our parents are the ones who are really implementing the treatment plans. They teach the youth personal care, social, and academic skills. They teach them how to anticipate the consequences of their behavior and to make informed decisions. They help them to solve their problems. Our main job is to give the parents the tools that will empower them to use their own natural strengths to help these kids." Jane, now 17, has made tremendous strides. Shc now attends a cooperative education program and also works part-time. She attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings regularly and has remained drug and aleohol free. She is no longer suicidal. She now looks eagerly to what the future has in store for her. After a few weeks living with īhe Aionas, she wrote the following poem: Here is a rose that is full of love. But when you don't give it water or sun it starts to die. So, take it from me, always give it water and sun. See, a rose is like a human being. . . It likes to bloom like we do. There are many more children and teenagers in need of families like the Aionas. Na 'Ohana Pulama needs qualified people to become professional parents. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in helping a child like Jane, eall Warren Aoki at 587-6321. Na 'Ohana Pulama is an equal employment opportunity program of Catholic Charities. *(Characters are composite personalities based on aeiual case histories).