Senator Grove, Paris Hilton, and advocates at a press conference prior to the bill presentation.
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Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) is pleased to announce her bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 1043, the Accountability in Children’s Treatment (ACT) measure, has unanimously passed out of the Senate Human Services Committee today. Celebrity advocate Paris Hilton was in Sacramento to testify in support of the measure as her nonprofit organization 11:11 Media Impact is the sponsor of the bill, along with joint authors Democrat Senator Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento) and Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward).
ACT proposes greater transparency for children and young adults who are living in facilities licensed by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), by requiring information related to the use of restraints and seclusion rooms to be accessible to the public.
“Senator Grove is a champion for children in California and I am honored to be here to support her measure,” said celebrity advocate Paris Hilton. “As a survivor of the ‘Troubled Teen Industry,’ I’ve made it my mission to share my life experiences in hopes of bringing change to this industry and this measure will ensure that no child experience trauma in the name of treatment. I look forward to working with her and all members of the California legislature to ensure SB 1043 is passed and signed into law so we can protect our most vulnerable youth.”
“I am grateful for the members of the Senate Human Services Committee for unanimously passing my bill, Accountability in Children’s Treatment,” said Senator Shannon Grove. “I will continue to fight for our children and survivors – whether it is going after human traffickers or ensuring the highest level of transparency in our children’s care. I am honored to partner with Paris Hilton, a survivor of the troubled teen industry, on this children’s protection measure which will create more accountability in their treatment. California has already been on the forefront of this issue, and this measure will guarantee the highest level of transparency when it comes to our children’s wellbeing.”
SB 1043 will provide additional transparency of STRTPs by requiring the reporting of key data, including the use of seclusion rooms, the use of restraints and incidents resulting in serious injuries or deaths, to be displayed on a public dashboard on the California Department of Social Services website.
Background on out-of-state facilities and why SB 1043 is needed:
Previously, California sent children to out-of-state facilities with the goal of getting them the treatment they urgently needed. Tragically, numerous reports and incidents were brought to light of these vulnerable children being abused at these facilities.
In response to the out-of-state abuses, AB 808 (Stone, 2021) was introduced to eliminate the placement of foster youth in out-of-state treatment facilities and created the Child’s Continuum Pilot Program to develop care for foster youth. This measure was passed in a budget bill, AB 153, which decertified out-of-state facilities and required all California youth to return by January 1, 2023. Governor Newsom allocated $8 million to immediately bring home the remaining youth from these treatment facilities and utilize the funding to recruit foster families and bolster health and behavioral support services. Currently, Short Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs) serve as an alternative for out-of-state treatment facilities. Although these facilities hold a higher standard of care, the use of seclusion rooms and restraints on minors still occur which require reporting to CDSS. However, this information is not currently accessible to the public.