Class Action Against WWASPS is Here

[Deborah]

Anon wrote:
 What I find interesting is that there are posts for people to call this group on this and the voy site. Just my opinion, but if there was so much REAL abuse going on wouldn't these folks have sued already? Or is it safety in numbers that may not exist if they have to post it?

Considering that many parents have taken second mortgages and/or used college fund accounts and don't have thousands laying around; no, it's not "interesting" or unusual, but quiet common. And sad. People don't join Class suits, which I have been apart of, for the MONEY, they are about righting a wrong. A class suit gives them a voice that they would not have otherwise had.

And:
Actually, there wouldn't be a behavior change program left in the world, nor drug rehab, nor mental hospital, nor juvenile halls if all these abuse allegations were confirmed.

And the world might be better off, if that were the case. You can't be serious. Your homework. Report to this board how many teens have died in the Teen Help Industry, and tell us how many of the staff resonsible for those deaths were convicted. And how many are STILL working with teens. You are not very informed.

I think we are hearing only a small percentage of abuse allegations. Something that is common to all programs- No contact with the outside world, brainwashing to convince the child that their parent is aware of their "methods" and approves,
abuse allegations are labled as "manipulation" and consequenced, they keep kids as long as possible to ensure they get the message "reporting abuse results in punishment".
Then, many recommend that parents send their teen to a "transistional" facility after graduation- their "guarentee" is requires this. It could be years before the child even realizes they were abused.

In my own case, my son was confused as to what constituted abuse. I had to re-educate him. He had come to think of what happened as "normal" because it "happened all the time".

And:
Nothing is perfect and staff aren't perfect. Everyone once in a while a staff makes a wrong decision, but that can happen anywhere. For the mostpart these programs are needed. I have no experience with SAFE, STRAIGHT, CEDU or privately run facilities.

It's all in the training. Most programs hire kids just out of school and train them in "their ways". Some hire uneducated staff- babysitters and train them in their torture techniques.
Most all facilities are privately owned. The facility my son spent 22 months in (against my wishes) was a private corp. As a result, it was extremely difficut for the Office of Reg Services to go in.
As for Wilderness facilities, where a majority of the deaths have occured, the "counselors" are so intent on "enforcing the march" that they ignore real signs of distress.
 
And:
PURE may be providing a needed service for the parents, but it's HOW they are doing it that is very wrong. Take all the "slams" off their site and there's not much left. They'd do much better by standing on their own and stating their own results, what they do for the parents and the kids, don't you think?

How many Ed Con sites have you visited? Non of them provide any information that I would consider important or pertinent. I think they should be required by law to have a seperate page for every program they refer to. On that page would be this minimum of information:

*The Ed Con would have to show proof that they were licensed by their state to make out-of-state placements.
*The type of license the facility has.
*What education/experience each staff possess.
*If the facility has ever been written up for violations of regs, and what for.
*What if any complaints have been filed against the facility re: abuse.
*If and how many deaths have occured.
*If the facility complies with the Interstate Compact on Placement of Children in out-of-state facilities.
*The demographics of the population.
*What methods of BM are used, and if they use de-escalation techinques vs restraint.

And this, I would consider a minimum of information. And still would not ensure that kids wouldn't be abused or killed.

If I were in the business of asking parents to trust my advice on where to send their teen, I would feel a moral obligation to know about that facility. Referring "based on the owner's reputation", or for a fee (in addition to what the parents pay) doesn't cut it.

Consumers ask more questions about a product their going to purchase than program parents ask about the people they are about to entrust with their child. I will never understand this. It's baffling.
Deborah

[Anonymous]

so who is WWASP? and if they were held in contempt of court who personally would be held?

Who are these awesome grads and how come we never hear about them?

fact is that 2 of the three in the TB testimony were graduates and what they had to say was just as bad as the non graduate. in fact the graduates felt awful about punishments they were forced to give in their "junior staff" level 4-6.

the one kid held up as awesome in the TV shows is Eddie Bueno. Last I heard he was on the streets.

[Deborah]

From the Prez:
What is the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, and how does it fit into the overall "Teen Help" system?

First of all, please understand that the "Teen Help" system is really nothing more than an ADMISSION AND INTAKE organization. They gather information from families regarding placement for their teens in specialty schools. Teen Help does not only refer families to WWASPS Programs but to others as well. [Anyone know if this is true?] Also, Teen Help is not the only Admissions and Intake organization that refers teens to the WWASPS affiliates. Others include Cross Creek Admissions, Teens-In-Crisis, Parent Resources, Teen Help Southeast, Spring Creek Admissions, and others.

The World Wide Association is a MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION for independently owned and operated specialty schools. The advantages of belonging to an organization such as ours are many. Like other membership organizations, we PROVIDE OUR MEMBERS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF SERVICES from providing seminars, consulting, sharing of ideas, a monthly publication (The Source), an oline bulletin board, and many other services. In another context, we are like a contractor's association or any other trade organization that members would join with the expectation of receiving certain enhancements to assist them in attaining their ultimate goals, such as the benefit of combined purchasing power.

The Mission Statement of the World Wide Association is:

The World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools provides to its associate Programs services that enhance the Program's effectiveness relative to their respective student populations. These services enable Program Staff to better focus attention to their Students and Families thereby improving and strengthening those relationships. WWASPS provides a NAME RECOGNITION that is SYNONYMOUS WITH QUALITY YOUTH PROGRAMS, providing the highest in education and specialty program services available. WWASPS serves as a central point for screening new and improved services that can be shared with all associated Programs.

- Ken Kay, president
http://www.wwasp.com/faqspage.htm
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http://www.intrepidnetreporters.com/Tee ... etter.html
More about the corp structure.

Excerpts:
If a child is injured or harmed in some way, who does the family hold accountable? The contracts signed by parents, apparently willingly and with full disclosure, make it very clear that the accountability is with the PARENT AND THE CHILD. The parents on behalf of their children hold harmless not only the programs but also any staff members who may injure a child unless the program has specifically ordered the harmful behavior.

Were families to attempt to recoup losses incurred within U.S. courts and against the U.S. companies they would be met with a BEWILDERING ARRAY OF ENTITIES AND AN UNCERTAIN PATH TO RECOVERY. The reality is that the great majority of Teen Help entities are limited liability corporations, limited liability partnerships and family trusts. Under Utah law a limited liability company can only be sued for the money that is invested in it. This is also true for a Limited Liability Partnership. So far as we can determine, the Teen Help families of businesses have no substantial assets. They lease the property they occupy, they lease their computer networks, they even have an arrangement to lease their employees. The Limited Liability Corporations are owned by Limited Liability Partnerships, which in most cases are owned by Lichfield/Facer family trusts.
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They may not know what the hell they're doing in terms of how to treat other human beings, but you have to give it to them in terms of structuring to protect their assets.
Deborah