Many of the "places" in the US are highly abusive, too.
I agree with you 100%, CCMgirl. I think that the most absurd thing about the industry is that parents believe that somehow, some "expert" can do a better job than they can at raising their kids. I read one of the WWASP's parents manuals. One of the things they talk about there are the punishments a kid can get for breaking the rules (they don't mention the restraints, solitary confinement, physical and psychological abuse, of course). One of the punishments was not being allowed to attend an activity. How many parents tried that? Many, I'm sure. They tried grounding, they tried keeping their kid from seeing his/her friends as a form of punishment. And that didn't work. What the hell makes you think it will work, all of a sudden?
Parents, how do you think your children are going to be fixed in those places? They talk a lot about "structure" and "emotional growth", but they never really get down to the definitions of what those things mean, and how do they relate to this specific kid. ALL of these programs work by a one-size-fit-all approach. The majority of them severely restirct communication between parents and children, making these places every child abuser's wet dream (the kid can't use the phone, so there's no calling 911; and any criticism or complaint is, of course, "manipulation", so the parents aren't going to believe them either).
Parents often say they want empowerment. They want to take back control over what's going on in their families. Well, you don't gain power by giving the ultimate authority and control over your child to some program! You do not save your child by giving them away to an institutional facility! You do not create a better relationship with them by exiling them from their families!
Before you do anything, think. Things are often not as terrible as they seem. Do not give up on your children. Do not give up on your duty as parents, and pass the task over to the "expert" of the program. More often than not, you will be doing your child and your family great damage.