In response to numerous documented reports of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse within youth residential programs, the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act (SICAA) was introduced in both the House of Representatives (H.R. 2955) and the Senate (S. 1351) in April of 2023. The measure, which enjoys broad bi-partisan support, represents a concerted effort to enhance the oversight and accountability of youth residential programs nationwide, colloquiolly known as the “troubled teen” industry.
In 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF) reported that 19,929 foster youth were placed in institutional settings across the United States. Concurrently, in 2020, the Department of Justice Juvenile Residential Facility Census identified 25,014 youths placed in 1,323 residential facilities. Many of these youths enter these programs through the child welfare or juvenile justice system and are required to undergo treatment for emotional, behavioral or substance abuse issues. Others are admitted directly by parents hoping to secure treatment for their children.
Alarming reports of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse within some of these residential programs have come to the fore, exposing disturbing incidents that include broken bones, fight clubs, sexual abuse, forced isolation, and a failure to provide adequate medical care or evidence-based treatment. The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act is set to revolutionize the landscape of youth residential programs by implementing crucial recommendations from the Government Accountability Office and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).