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[edit] Testimony Collection by CAFETY - Updated: April 16, 2009
In late February 2009 H.R. 911 Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 passed the House in an overwhelming vote for youth protection of 295 to 102. We are continuing to collect testimony to submit to the Senate. Your testimony will become part of the public record, highlighting the need for Federal Regulation, documenting the egregious practices of some residential programs, the lack of transparency of said programs, and the states failure to protect youth.
[edit] Submit Testimony
CLICK HERE:
[edit] About the Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth
Mission Statement
MISSION:
The Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth (CAFETY) is a volunteer, youth-driven effort in support of the protection of the human rights of institutionalized youth experiencing behavioral, emotional and mental health challenges.
VISION:
The members of CAFETY envision the day that no young person is harmed in the name of treatment and when youth are empowered to be equal partners in their own care.
VALUES:
We, as CAFETY members have been moved to act by our having suffered egregious human rights violations in residential placement. Others in this community alliance have come to know the suffering of those who have been confined in such programs and are moved to act as well.
1. As individuals who have been placed in some type of residential setting as youth, we acknowledge that present policies to address the needs of youth struggling with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are inadequate in both scope and reach.
2. We advocate for measures that would effectively help youth and families remain together and find treatment in their community.
3. We recognize that some youth are inappropriately institutionalized and seek to prevent this type of institutionalization and segregation from the community.
4. We also believe that, in the event youth are placed in an out-of-home setting appropriately, the basic human rights of youth must be protected by the state.
5. Appropriate care includes protection from harm, and access to treatment that is transparent, collaborative, and non-coercive. It also means holding providers accountable for the outcomes of the treatment that they provide.
CAFETY’s Goals and Advocacy positions
Access to advocates
The right to due process
Alternatives to aversive behavioral interventions
Alternatives to restraints and seclusion
Routine reporting of abuse in residential treatment programs
Federal government oversight and regulation of residential treatment programs
Ratification of the Children's Rights Convention
Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol
Lower the Age for Consent to mental health treatment
Read more about why CAFETY exists here.
- Visit CAFETY's official website:
