Feb 24, 2009
Yesterday the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation to protect teenagers living in residential programs from physical, mental, and sexual abuse and to help ensure parents have the information they need to keep children safe. The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 (H.R. 911) would establish minimum health and safety standards for preventing child abuse and neglect at teen residential programs. The legislation prohibits physical, mental, and sexual abuse and requires that residential programs provide children with adequate food, water, rest, and medical care. To ensure enforcement, the bill provides for civil penalties against programs that violate the new standards. Finally, H.B. 911 requires states, within three years, to take on the role of setting and enforcing standards for both private and public youth residential programs.
This legislation came about after investigations by the Government Accounting Office (GAO). The investigations were requested by U.S. Representative George Miller of California, Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and uncovered thousands of cases and allegations of child abuse and neglect since the early 1990's in teen residential programs. The investigated programs included therapeutic boarding schools, boot camps, wilderness programs, and behavior modification facilities.
Among other things, H.R. 911 would create a toll-free national hotline for individuals to report cases of abuse and neglect and a website with information about substantiated cases of abuse at residential programs. Finally, to prevent deceptive marketing practices, the bill requires that programs inform parents of their staff members' qualifications, role, and responsibilities.
