Announcements
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Reps. Miller, McCarthy Introduce Legislation to Stop Child Abuse in Teen Residential Programs
Witnesses Tell Education Committee of Cases of Abuse, Deceptive Marketing by Programs Nationwide
House Committee on Education and Labor Press Release
Thursday, April 24, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC -- Teenagers attending private residential programs would gain new protections against physical, mental, and sexual abuse under legislation announced today by U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). An unknown number of private programs continue to operate free of government oversight.
“There is a nationwide epidemic of abuse and neglect of children at privately-run residential programs,” said Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “In too many cases, we have seen this abuse and neglect lead to the most horrific outcomes imaginable: the deaths of children at the hands of the very people entrusted with their care. We have an obligation to keep kids safe no matter what setting they are in.”
“When parents send their kids to privately-run residential treatment facilities, they deserve to know that – at a bare minimum – these programs will be held accountable for their children’s safety and well-being,” said McCarthy, chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. “It is absolutely critical that we make sure that children are kept safe when attending these privately operated facilities and that families are protected from any misleading marketing schemes programs use to draw them in.”
The lawmakers announced the legislation on the same day that they heard testimony from investigators with the Government Accountability Office about the deceptive marketing practices and other shady schemes that many teen residential programs use to lure vulnerable parents desperate to find help for their children.
Through undercover work, the GAO investigators found programs that counseled parents their services would be covered by health insurance when, in fact, they likely are not covered; programs that said they offered transferable education credits when, in fact, they did not; and programs that said they were subject to independent inspections when, in fact, they are not. The GAO recorded the false assertions on audiotape.
The GAO investigators also presented details of eight cases of child abuse and neglect at teen residential programs, including four resulting in death. Two of the programs where deaths occurred continue to operate today. The committee also heard testimony from two individuals who experienced abuse when they attended residential programs as teenagers.
The Miller-McCarthy legislation (H.R. 5876) would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish minimum health and safety standards for private residential programs for teens. It would require HHS to inspect all programs around the country at least once every two years and to issue penalties against programs that violate the standards.
Among other things, the legislation would create a toll-free national hotline for individuals to report cases of abuse. It would require programs to provide children with adequate food, water, medical care, and rest. And to create transparency to help parents make safe choices for their children, it would require, among other things, that programs inform parents of their staff members’ qualifications, roles, and responsibilities.
It is estimated that at least 20,000 U.S. teenagers attend residential programs, including therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness camps, boot camps, and behavior modification facilities. Parents send their children to the programs in hopes of addressing their kids’ behavioral problems, such as substance abuse, as well as mental illnesses.
Click Here to Read a Summary of the Bill
Second Congressional Hearing on Troubled-Teen Industry
On Thursday, April 24, 2008, the House Committee on Education and Labor held a second hearing on the troubled-teen industry.
From the Committee's web page:
The Committee held a hearing to examine allegations of child abuse and deceptive marketing at residential programs for teens, including boot camps, wilderness camps, therapeutic boarding schools, and behavior modification facilities. The hearing also examined legislation to prevent child abuse in these programs by establishing standards for the programs.
The committee heard about the results of undercover work from the Government Accountability Office and from individuals who attended residential programs when they were teenagers.
Click Here for Transcripts and Video of the Hearings.
Click Here to Download the Full Report from the GAO
Important Message for WWASPS Families from PA, DE, or NJ
Survivors and parents of WWASPS programs who resided in Pennsylvania, Delaware or New Jersey are asked to contact ISAC immediately.
Please send an email with your name, phone number and the state you lived in at the time of enrollment to isaccorp@yahoo.com.
GAO Report Completed and Presented to Congress
On October 10, 2007 the Government Accountability Office released its much-anticipated report on residential treatment programs.
The report entitled Concerns Regarding Abuse and Death in Certain Programs for Troubled Youth contains investigative findings on ten facilities where children have died.
The report was presented to the House Committee on Education and Labor in an effort to pass national regulation of troubled-teen programs.
ISAC would like to thank the GAO for its efforts and for helping expose this dangerously unmonitored industry.
Download the Report
Watch the Video of the Hearing
Sue Scheff, PURE, and Others Accused of Fraud: "Horrific Acts of Child Abuse" Alleged at Academy Referred by Scheff
Written by: Paula Reeves
BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA (August 12, 2007): As the sun sets on one case after another involving Sue Scheff and her one-person company, PURE (Parents Universal Resource Experts), another case looms on the horizon.
The case filed by the Green family in late July 2007 alleges that Scheff, “[S]et up PURE based on the business model of a Utah entity known as WWASP [World Wide Association of Specialty Programs],” an organization to which Scheff referred children and against whom Scheff later engaged in protracted litigation. The civil complaint alleges that Scheff lied about the money she received from private children’s programs and, instead, pretended to be “a volunteer who used proceeds from a successful lawsuit and from a trust fund to support her work and her organization . . . .”
The complaint alleges that other defendants, Boyd Hooper followed Scheff’s lead and likewise misrepresented that he was an “education specialist.” In reality, Hooper was Scheff’s public relations agent and fees were paid to Scheff and others, according to the complaint.
Focal Point Academy in Mesquite, Nevada is the place to which Scheff referred the Green family, according to the case. Focal Point was reportedly marketed by Scheff as a therapeutic boarding school. It was later discovered that Focal Point was not licensed as a school, but as a foster home, with no foster children present.
The Greens were willing to spend more than $5,000 a month for their son to receive the intensive psychiatric help they felt he needed. Instead, their son was reportedly not provided the specialized treatment promised by Scheff, Hooper, and Focal Point. They say their child was beaten and subjected to perverted sexual acts by other “students” that continued even after Focal Point Academy was notified. Focal Point reportedly refused to notify authorities.
The defendants’ answers to the allegations have not yet been filed. The defendants are expected to deny all assertions of fraud and breach of fiduciary duties.
Like her counterpart, WWASP, Scheff has been in litigation a number of times where others have made accusations of fraud and deceit. This time, however, it appears that trouble may be brewing for Scheff.
Copyright 2007 www.paulareeves.com
Reprinted with permission
http://greenversussuescheff.blogspot.com/2007/08/sue-scheff-pure-accused-of-fraud.html
www.paulareeves.com
Click Here to Read the Lawsuit
Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen
Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids by Maia Szalavitz has been published.
Covers the incredible history of a billion dollar
industry, which profits by convincing parents that
their teenagers require harsh residential treatment
in order to survive adolescent misbehavior. It
shows how these programs prosper despite lack of
any scientific evidence for their efficacy—and
despite research showing that their "therapeutic"
techniques can do great harm and often drive apart
the families they are intended to bring together.
You can order the book by clicking the photo above.
As an Amazon associate, ISAC will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
Articles written by Maia Szalavitz:
The Trouble with Tough Love
New York Times Underplays Boot Camp Abuse
Why Jesus is Not a Regulator
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Class Action Lawsuit Against WWASPS
The Turley Law Firm has filed a class action against WWASPS and many of the programs and individuals involved in the organization.
More information, including forms for former "students" and parents interested in joining the suit, can be found at www.wturley.com
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