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Starting January 1, hundreds of state-licensed residential treatment centers for children and youth up to age 21 operating in California will be required to be transparent, especially when using restraints or isolation rooms. It is necessary to comply with new laws that increase
After a youth is detained or placed in an isolation room, facilities are required to report both the youth and their parent or guardian. The report must include a description of the incident. Which staff were involved? the rationale behind their actions. How long did the incident last? Other details.
A copy of the report must be submitted to the California Department of Human Services within seven days. The department must check reported incidents for health and safety violations and investigate incidents if necessary.
Another provision of the law requires authorities to publish data about these cases on their websites, and will take effect until January 1, 2026. Parents and guardians then consider difficult decisions about whether to send their children to these facilities. Access information about potential abuses of restraints and isolation rooms.
One of the most widely recognized champions as the bipartisan bill passed Congress was Paris Hilton. In April, the hotel heiress, socialite and media personality traveled to the state Capitol to represent the bill and discuss her experiences while living in youth treatment centers in California and other states. He spoke about the physical and emotional abuse he suffered.
Hilton, who has been a vocal critic of the “troubled teen industry,” praised the law’s passage in August.
“For too long, these facilities have operated without proper oversight, putting vulnerable young people at risk,” Hilton said in a statement. “We hope that our state will set the standard for transparency and accountability in these facilities going forward.”
In 2021, California banned sending troubled youth, including foster children, to for-profit treatment centers outside the state following reports of rampant abuse. Alternatively, youth could be sent to short-term treatment facilities licensed by the state Department of Social Services. A year later, California passed a law funding crisis residential treatment facilities for Medi-Cal children.
