In recent years, there has been a significant increase in calls to police from Elevations, a youth treatment center, with numbers rising from 15 in 2019 to 56 in 2023. Syracuse Chief of Police Garret Atkin stated that Elevations is on track to almost double last year’s tally by the end of 2024, with most calls involving clients alleging mistreatment by staff, or children assaulting a peer or employee. Between May 2023 and May 2024, Elevations reported at least 105 incidents of self-harm and 138 uses of physical restraints, according to state records. One former student, Miranda Goodwill, claimed she was violently restrained face-down by a staffer for throwing books at a wall in 2019, with another student corroborating her account. Goodwill stated that she was made to lie about the incident when seeking medical help.
Youth rights advocates expressed hope that the closure of Trails Carolina would lead to increased regulatory scrutiny of Elevations, but this has not yet materialized. Officials in Idaho, North Carolina, and Utah, where Family Help & Wellness youth programs are based, stated that violations at affiliated facilities in other states are not considered when evaluating programs. Only the child welfare agency in New Mexico, where one treatment center is located, is currently investigating the program’s association with Family Help & Wellness. Kelly Webster from the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs cautioned against assuming that negative incidents at one program location would necessarily occur at another, even if they have the same corporate backing.
Katie England, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees facilities like Elevations, explained that they are not authorized to use facility violations or adverse incidents in other states when making licensing decisions in Utah. Recent changes in Utah have increased state inspections of treatment centers and required more tracking of critical incidents such as restraints and self-harm. Industry experts and advocates are pushing for the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, a bipartisan bill that would create a federal interagency workgroup to improve communication among state agencies and establish a national database of restraints and seclusion in youth treatment centers.
Ben Jones, director of legal and policy initiatives for youth advocacy group Lives in the Balance, emphasized the importance of the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, noting the lack of centralized oversight in the industry. He stressed the need to ensure the safety and quality of care for children sent away from home for treatment. The bill aims to enhance communication between state agencies and create a national database to track incidents in youth treatment centers. As families invest significant resources in these programs, Jones believes it is crucial to guarantee that children receive appropriate and safe care.
The increase in calls to police from Elevations highlights growing concerns about the treatment and safety of children in residential facilities. Advocates are pushing for greater regulatory scrutiny and oversight to protect vulnerable youth from mistreatment and harm. As incidents of self-harm and physical restraints continue to be reported, there is a call for more transparency and accountability in the industry to ensure that children receive the best possible care. The proposed Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act represents a step towards improved regulation and monitoring of youth treatment centers to safeguard the well-being of those in their care.
