West Central Regional Juvenile Center reports steady demand, new female transition unit and staffing improvements

James, director of the West Central Regional Juvenile Center, gave the board an annual update on March 11 outlining program activity, staffing and partnerships.

Key takeaways from the presentation: - Secure programs and capacity: The facility is licensed for 55 secure beds and has physical space for 65; staff said they typically operate at an effective capacity of around 40, balancing member‑county needs and nonmember placements. James said the center averaged about 20 youth in secure detention and about 20 in secure residential programs during 2024. - Programming and partners: The center provides education through Moorhead Public Schools for youth on site and contracts therapy and clinical services with partners including Lutheran Social Services, Lakeland Mental Health, and private clinicians for medication management and adolescent psychiatry. Programs include cognitive‑behavioral curricula, trauma therapy, GED offerings and substance‑use services supplied by Solutions (chemical‑dependency services). - Female transition unit: The center is preparing to open a female transition program (remodeled space in the Family Service Center) and expects to staff it and begin placements imminently; James said tile work and setup were in progress and the project remained on budget. - Staffing and turnover: Secure program staffing includes 26 full‑time staff and about 50 variable‑hour staff; nonsecure staffing includes 15 full‑time staff and about 20 variable‑hour staff. James reported turnover has declined from earlier years and that some prior employees have returned. The director said three pending female‑program openings will be filled when the unit opens. - Systemwide placement pressures: James told the board Minnesota has limited psychiatric placement capacity and that some youth seen at the center are highly suicidal but cannot access hospital beds or other state placements; he said 2024 saw a higher share of Clay County youth in nonsecure care because statewide resources were constrained. He also noted a state policy change coming in August 2026 that will affect secure placement of very young youth (the center expects adjustments to operations because the state will restrict secure placement for certain ages).

Why it matters: the center serves 11 member counties under a cooperative service agreement and also accepts nonmember placements; the center’s secure residential program generates nonmember revenue that helps support the regional facility. Commissioners praised staff and noted the county’s program has become a model cited by other counties.

Ending: The board heard that the center is pursuing grant funding (about $750,000 captured through 2025 for programming, per staff) for the CLPS program and will continue to press state partners for additional psychiatric capacity statewide.