Beginning Jan. 1, hundreds of state-licensed residential treatment centers for children and youth up to age 21 operating in California must comply with a new law that brings greater transparency — particularly when they use restraints and seclusion rooms.
After restraining a youth, or putting them in a seclusion room, the facility is required to provide a report to both the youth and to their parent or guardian. The report must include a description of the incident; which staff members were involved; the rationale behind their actions; how long the incident lasted; and other details.
A copy of the report must be provided to the California Department of Social Services within seven days. The department is required to review reported incidents for any health and safety violations and, if needed, investigate the incident.
Another provision of the law , requiring the department to make data about these incidents publicly available on its website, doesn’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2026. Then, parents or guardians weighing the difficult decision to send their children to these facilities can access information about any potential misuse of restraints and seclusion rooms.