Residential Facilities

Federal funding to states supported over 200,000 youths in residential facilities in 2004, many seeking help to address behavioural or emotional challenges. However, federal investigations have identified maltreatment and civil rights abuses in some facilities. GAO was asked to provide national information about (1) the nature of incidents that adversely affect youth well-being in residential facilities, (2) how state licensing and monitoring requirements address youth well-being in these facilities, and (3) what factors affect federal agencies’ ability to hold states accountable for youth well-being in residential facilities. GAO conducted national Web-based surveys of state child welfare, health and mental health, and juvenile justice agencies and achieved an 85 percent response rate for each of the three surveys. They also visited four states, interviewed program officials, and reviewed laws and documentation. This book is an excerpted, edited and indexed edition.