Youth Treatment Programs: What Counts and Who Ran It

What kinds of programs can count?

Many kinds of places can count. A 2007 federal review looked at wilderness programs, boot camps, academies and boarding schools for teens. Live-in treatment centers and psychiatric hospitals can count too.

Some of these programs are paid for by state or local agencies. Others are private and sell their services to parents of teens who are struggling.

A 2022 federal review looked at a wide range of places where young people lived. They included schools, programs for mental health or substance use, and homes for pregnant teens.

The name on the sign does not decide whether you can ask about a claim. A lawyer can check how your state treats the program you were in.

What is a psychiatric residential treatment facility?

It is a place, not a hospital, where people under 21 live and get mental health care. In most states, Medicaid can pay for care there and in psychiatric hospitals. Such centers must follow federal rules on restraint and seclusion.

Federal rules spell out what restraint and seclusion mean. A personal restraint is the use of physical force to stop a young person from moving freely. Seclusion means keeping a young person alone in a room or area they are kept from leaving.

A facility that is not a hospital must be accredited by a recognized group, such as the Joint Commission, to provide this care under Medicaid. A psychiatric hospital must be checked by the state or by an approved national group. A lawyer may ask about these reviews.

Under these rules, staff means people who care for residents or take part in a restraint or seclusion, whether they work full time, part time or on contract.

Does it matter if the program was private or called itself a school?

It can change which rules applied. It does not by itself mean you cannot ask a lawyer about a claim. In 2007, federal auditors said no federal law defined or regulated these programs. They said some states licensed private programs and others did not oversee them at all.

The auditors also said state approaches ranged from required licensing to no oversight. That is one reason a lawyer will ask what kind of license, if any, your program had.

A 2022 federal review said state and local agencies are mainly in charge of overseeing these facilities, including licensing them. It said states often hire private nonprofit groups to run them.

Who may be responsible for what happened?

That depends on your state’s law and your facts. A lawyer will want to know who ran the program, who owned it and who worked there. Some programs belong to larger companies.

In a 2024 report, the Senate Finance Committee shared what it found about four companies that run these facilities. It named Universal Health Services, Acadia Healthcare, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health and Vivant Behavioral Healthcare.

The report describes two of them as publicly traded for-profit companies and one as a nonprofit. A facility’s name may differ from the company that ran it.

Owners can change. The report says the founder of one company sold a majority stake to an investment firm in 2017. Later, 13 of its facilities went to a new company he also founded.

A lawyer can trace who ran and owned your program during the dates you were there.

What if I was sent to a program in another state?

Then more than one state may be involved. The Senate report says a facility that takes children from other states may also have to follow the placing state’s rules. A lawyer can check which state’s law and deadline fit your case.

State and local agencies license these facilities and look into abuse there, a 2022 federal review said. So the state where the program was is a good place to start.

If a child welfare agency or a court placed you, write that down. It can matter for which agencies and records are involved.

What happens when I check?

A lawyer will ask about the program’s name, the town, your dates there and who placed you. You can share what you feel ready to share. Get any fee deal in writing before you sign.

Under the ABA’s model rule, a fee based on a recovery must be in a writing you sign. It must say which costs you would owe even if you do not win.

You do not have to go through this alone. RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline is free, confidential and open 24/7. Call 800-656-4673 or text HOPE to 64673.