PASS THE PROTECT KIDS ACT: End Abuse in the Troubled Teen Industry
To the United States Congress and 2028 Presidential Candidates:
It’s time to protect our children from abusive residential programs.

For decades, children have been sent to “troubled teen” programs, residential treatment centers, wilderness programs, and behavior-modification facilities that operate with little to no oversight. Behind closed doors, countless survivors report the same horrors:

Physical abuse
Psychological torture
Solitary confinement
Starvation and labor used as punishment
Sexual abuse
Dangerous restraints
Forced transportation (“gooning”)
Cutting off all communication with family
Unlicensed staff making medical decisions
Educational neglect
Kids being sent out of state — or out of the country
Deaths that never should have happened
These programs have destroyed childhoods, broken families, and left lifelong scars.

And there are STILL no federal protections.

We are calling on Congress to pass the Protecting Children from Abusive Institutionalization Act (“Protect Kids Act”) — a comprehensive federal bill created by survivors, for survivors to finally shut down these abusive practices and protect every child in America, no matter how they enter a program.

 ⭐ WHAT THE PROTECT KIDS ACT WILL DO
The Protecting Children from Abusive Institutionalization Act (“Protect Kids Act”) is a landmark federal bill designed to protect ALL children placed in any youth residential program in the United States — including children who are court-ordered, in foster care, sent by parents, or placed by schools, agencies, or mental health providers.

For decades, the Troubled Teen Industry has operated with almost no oversight, allowing thousands of children to be abused, neglected, isolated, or transported far from home without transparency or safety standards. This bill ends those abuses with the strongest federal protections ever proposed.

Below is a full overview of what this legislation will accomplish:

 
⭐ 1. National Licensing & Federal Oversight
Every youth residential program MUST:

Be federally licensed
Meet national safety and health standards
Follow trauma-informed care practices
Undergo unannounced inspections
Comply with reporting requirements to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
This ends the ability of programs to operate in the shadows or move locations to avoid regulation.

 
⭐ 2. Independent Clinical Requirement for Admission
No child may be admitted to ANY residential program unless:

✔ A neutral, licensed clinician (NOT associated with the facility) determines the placement is medically necessary
✔ Less restrictive options have been considered
✔ The child’s needs cannot be safely met at home or in community-based care

This protects children from being institutionalized for:

Behavioral issues
Defiance
Sexual orientation or gender identity
Neurodivergence
Trauma reactions
Family conflict
“Being difficult”
No more institutionalizing children without true medical need.

 
⭐ 3. End Forced Transport 
The bill bans:

Private transport companies
Nighttime home extractions
Restraint-based transport
Threats, intimidation, and psychological coercion
No child can be forcibly taken from their home by strangers in the middle of the night ever again.

 
⭐ 4. No More Across-State-Line Placement Without Medical Justification
Cross-state placement is prohibited unless:

✔ A licensed clinician certifies medical necessity
✔ No in-state, safe placement exists
✔ Parents/guardians are fully informed
✔ Oversight agencies approve

This stops families and agencies from shipping children far away where oversight is weaker.

 
⭐ 5. COMPLETE Ban on Sending Children Out of the Country
No child may be sent to a program outside the United States — under ANY circumstance.

No exceptions.
No loopholes.
No more offshore programs.

This protects children from being isolated where U.S. law cannot protect them.

 
⭐ 6. 24/7 Licensed Clinician On-Site
Every facility must have:

A licensed mental health clinician present at all times
Trauma-informed care standards
Trained medical staff for emergencies
No more untrained staff “running therapy.”

 
⭐ 7. Restraint, Seclusion & Discipline Restrictions
The bill bans:

Restraints as punishment
Pain-compliance tactics
Prone restraints
Seclusion/solitary confinement
Deprivation-based discipline (food, sleep, bathroom access)
Restraints may only be used if:

✔ A child is in immediate danger
✔ A clinician authorizes it
✔ The incident is documented and reviewed

 
⭐ 8. Guaranteed Education Standards
Facilities must provide:

Accredited education
Licensed teachers
Transferable credits
IEP/504 compliance
No academic withholding as punishment
No more fake schooling.

 
⭐ 9. Medical & Mental Health Protections
Children must have access to:

Real therapeutic care
Evidence-based treatment
Medication oversight
Crisis intervention by professionals
Regular assessments
Confidential reporting of concerns
 
⭐ 10. Upholding Youth Communication Rights
Children cannot be isolated from the outside world.

They must be able to:

✔ Call parents/guardians
✔ Contact attorneys, advocates, or mandated reporters
✔ Report abuse privately
✔ Access ombudsman services

Facilities can no longer hide abuse by cutting off communication.

 
⭐ 11. Protections for Court-Ordered Children
Judges may only place children in residential care if:

A neutral clinician certifies medical necessity
The child receives legal representation
A guardian ad litem is assigned
Regular review hearings are held
The facility meets all federal standards
No more punitive, discipline-based placements.

 
⭐ 12. Protections for Foster Youth
Foster youth may NOT be institutionalized just because:

There are no available foster beds
The state is out of resources
The child has complex needs
Placement is “easier”
Placement requires:

✔ Clinical necessity
✔ Oversight
✔ Documentation
✔ Federal licensing

No more warehousing children in facilities.

 
⭐ 13. Background Checks for Owners & Staff
Owners, operators, investors, and all employees must undergo:

FBI background checks
Child abuse registry checks
Criminal history reviews
Ongoing monitoring
Facilities must disclose:

Owner identity
Financial relationships
Corporate structure
Past facility closures or violations
No more hiding abusive operators under new names.

 
⭐ 14. Transparency & National Data Reporting
Facilities must report:

Number of children
Number of restraints
Number of staff
All incidents of injury or death
Allegations and outcomes of abuse
Education and clinical outcomes
Reported annually to HHS and made publicly available.

 
⭐ 15. Whistleblower & Reporter Protections
The bill protects:

Staff
Youth
Parents
Clinicians
Caseworkers
from retaliation when reporting abuse or violations.

 
⭐ 16. Survivor-Led Inspection Task Force
A federal team of trained survivors will:

✔ Participate in inspections
✔ Identify abusive practices
✔ Conduct interviews
✔ Review records
✔ Submit findings to HHS

Survivors know the red flags staff miss — and their expertise will finally be part of oversight.

 
⭐ THE GOAL OF THE BILL
To create safety, accountability, transparency, and justice in every youth residential program —
and to ensure no child ever becomes a survivor of institutional abuse again.

⭐ WHY THIS MATTERS
An estimated 150,000–200,000 children have been institutionalized through the Troubled Teen Industry every year.

Many of us are survivors.
Many of us watched friends suffer, disappear, or never make it home.

Enough is enough.

Children deserve safety, dignity, and real care — not abuse disguised as treatment.

 
⭐ WE DEMAND:
The U.S. House of Representatives
The U.S. Senate
2028 Presidential Candidates
State Legislators
Child Welfare Agencies
Juvenile Courts
Support and pass the Protect Kids Act NOW.

Every child deserves protection.
Every parent deserves transparency.
Every survivor deserves justice.
And the abuse must end — nationwide, once and for all.

 
⭐ SIGN THIS PETITION to demand that Congress pass the Protect Kids Act.
Together we can protect children, uplift survivors, and finally end institutional child abuse in America.