It is unfair to point the finger at Observatory Cottage workers or Government for the actions of some of the young men who have been housed there.

Instead of blame, parents should become more involved in the lives of their children and stop using the facility as a "drop off centre.'' A worker at the Observatory Cottage who asked not to be identified, spoke to The Royal Gazette in response to a story published on Monday.

In that article, a family member criticised Bermuda's approved societies -- organisations which are supposed to detain and rehabilitate young males under the age of 16 who have broken the law -- and claimed they were not working.

She said many of the teenaged men who were sent there ended up back on the streets within days and committed more serious offences because of a lack of proper supervision.

But the Observatory Cottage worker said each of his colleagues did the best they could under the circumstances.

And he said that if more parents were involved in the day to day lives of their children while they were at the Observatory Cottage, success would be easier to attain.

"As a worker I must defend my co-workers and my supervisor,'' the worker said. "We take these kids to dinner at our own expense, to the movies and even to our own family barbecues.

"We do a lot for them but some of the parents we don't even see that. They don't even care. They treat Observatory Cottage as a drop off service and they don't return for them.

"Government has provided some of the tools that we use and yes they lack in some areas. But we also work with these guys.'' Social Services Minister Harry Soares has already admitted that the present system of approved societies has its faults but he said Government had y pledged $3.5 million in the next budget to make a new residential care facility a reality.

Among the services provided at Observatory Cottage, the workers said, are counselling sessions and speakers on such topics as drugs and sex.

The worker said his colleagues would like to have more power to do their work.

He pointed out that if a child jumps through the window and runs away one night there is nothing that can be done.

But he added that parental involvement is integral to turning a young life around once a person has transgressed.

"In many cases, the parents are not caring for their children so we end up doing it,'' he said. "When the child is doing better the parents then rush back to take their children.

"As soon as he gets in trouble again, they then blame us for not getting him out of trouble.'' The worker said that if the family member quoted in the Gazette story and other parents in a similar predicament were really concerned, then they should be the ones walking the streets looking for their own children instead of the the Police or social workers.

"Parents have to stop blaming us for the actions of their own children,'' the worker continued. "Many are too quick to give up. They brought that child into the world and they should care for that child until adulthood. It starts with the parents.''