For more of NBC News' in-depth reporting, download the NBC News app. * Student loan reimbursement As a member of the juvenile justice residential services division, Capital Academy provides comprehensive treatment and education services to adolescent males ages 14.5-18.6 with severe emotional challenges and a history of previous program failures. Adam Shapiro and John "Jay" Ripley, who both worked for YSI, co-founded Sequel Youth and Family Services in 1999 and currently serve as co-chairmen on company's board. She said she regularly witnessed staff members putting girls into violent restraints, to the point where they struggled to breathe, allegations also documented by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program and in NBC News interviews with other former residents. The company is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama and owns a nationwide network of over 40 facilities in more than 15 states, including residential treatment centers, group homes, special schools, and community-based programs.[4]. Owens Cross Roads Sequel TSIs restructuring as Brighter Path is following a corporate-wide name change according to an affidavit. Teacher Hunter was assaulted multiple times by other children, including by his roommate, in full view of Sequels staff, according to a lawsuit his family filed against Sequel this week. Ohio recently revoked the license of a Sequel psychiatric facility in Columbus over multiple instances of violence. We took the feedback from the report, we identified areas for improvement, we worked with the state to come up with a manageable plan to make those areas of improvement, Birmingham said. I was banging and kicking on the door, trying to get someones attention, he said. Sequel did not respond to requests for comment. Theyre playing games: dodge, delay and deny, said James. In a court filing last week in Alabama, it argued that the lawsuit should be moved out of state court because the Ripley family is based in Virginia and an intricate series of business entities that comprise and control Vivant are incorporated in Virginia and Delaware. Join Lava Heights Academy and help young adults achieve what they never dreamed possible. As a member of the juvenile justice residential services division, Palm Beach Youth Academy provides comprehensive therapy services to adolescent males ages 15-21 who have been adjudicated to a high-risk treatment program by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Court System. At a news conference last month, entertainer Paris Hilton evoked Fredericks death as she campaigned for new federal regulation of youth facilities, saying the patchwork approach to oversight hasnt been effective. Michigans governor ordered state agencies in June to never do business with Sequel. DaeJah Seward poses for a portrait at her apartment complex in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, February 8, 2020. Whether it was economic uncertainty, the Covid-19 pandemic, heightened scrutiny of the company, or a combination of factors, Auldern closed because too few students were attending the school. Casa Grande Academy is a 32-bed staff-secure residential behavioral health facility for moderate to high-risk adjudicated and non-adjudicated males between the ages of 10-18. One received probation for pleading no contest to child abuse; the other two have not yet entered pleas. It was valued by investors at more than $400 million. But despite those efforts, in 2020, a 16-year-old boy died after staff at Sequels Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo, Michigan, held him on the floor for 12 minutes. Pompano Youth Treatment Center is a staff secure residential program located in Pompano Beach, FL. The operation housed a significant number of children from Oregon, which stopped sending them to Sequel treatment centers in 2020. Sequel, founded by Hindmans acolyte Jay Ripley, took over management of the facility in 1999. There are 7 companies that go by the name of Sequel Youth And Family Services, LLC. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources. Even with the recent closures, the company is still acquiring new programs. At Courtland, where conditions had nauseated Johnson, state agencies received dozens of incident reports from 2018 to this summer detailing troubling allegations, including that children there had sustained injuries, such as a broken toe, a fractured ankle and a concussion, because of restraints. And when we identify circumstances in which we are not providing care to the par that we expect it to be provided, we intervene with it. James says company and name changes are causing small problems in his ongoing lawsuits. "At. Illuminating Journalism from American Public Media. Sequel TSI of Montgomery is a secure residential program located in Montgomery, AL. Its part of what we do, Jarrett Shoemaker, a Sequel marketing agent, wrote to a Washington state child welfare official in 2014. Sequel staff members shared the companys side of the issue and discussed how to deal with concerns among state lawmakers. Sequel was initially founded to operate Clarinda Academy, a youth residential facility in Clarinda, Iowa. Join Auldern Academy and start helping young adults achieve what they never dreamed possible! One of the children placed at Courtland in early 2018 was a 15-year-old boy named Hunter, a former foster child with post-traumatic stress disorder whod been abused. Salaries posted anonymously by Sequel Youth And Family Services Executive Director Non Profit employees. Another Sequel Youth and Family Services facility has closed, marking the 13 closures for this for-profit troubled teen industry giant. The county says it removed kids from another Sequel facility, Iowa's Woodward Academy, at the same time it pulled them from Lakeside in May. Prosecutors charged three former employees with child abuse and involuntary manslaughter, and Sequel closed the facility under pressure from Michigan officials. But if local courts decide to place a child in an out-of-state facility which Michigan agencies have no licensing authority over they do not need the departments approval, even when it foots the bill. He has a bulging, bloody laceration on his forehead. Asperger's Disorder, and other Autism Spectrum Instructs students in academic subjects and social interaction skills. As a member of the child welfare residential services division at Sequel, Falcon Ridge Ranch provides equine and other comprehensive therapy to young women in an environment that fosters healing. Join SequelCare of Florida and start helping people achieve what they never dreamed possible. As a member of the child welfare services division at Sequel, Lava Heights Academy provides comprehensive art therapy programs in a residential setting to give teens with psychological, emotional, behavioral, social and other developmental challenges the tools to overcome their fears and struggles and achieve their goals. He says 90% of his cases are from Sequel residents. Both had racked up dozens of regulatory and safety violations in the years leading up to Fredericks death. Nobody joins our industry, you know, unless they're actually here for the kids, she said. youth and 3 tribal youth) placed in out-of-state facility placements. Join Sequel TSI of Tuskegee and help these young adults achieve what they never dreamed possible. Counselor On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Hindman had founded the Jiffy Lube chain of auto service centers, and Ripley worked for him. The seventeen (17) states with currently active Sequel facilities are: 1. As a member of the juvenile justice residential services division, Sequel of Tuskegee provides comprehensive therapy services to adolescent males ages 12-18 who have been adjudicated by the court. Lead Director of Nursing If so, come join our team. We are now in the planning phase of opening a new, state-of-the-art building which will provide new services as Brighter Path Owens Cross Roads.. We focused on public pay because we figured kids are always going to have issues and they're always going to get in trouble, and again, the government has to figure out a way to take care of them, Ripley explained, according to a video recording. The state did not end its relationship with Sequel. BCBA Investigation reveals appalling conditions at for-profit Alabama youth home, Michigan facility 'lost all control' of children before staff fatally restrained teen, police say, 'They told me it was going to be a good place': Allegations of abuse at home for at-risk kids, Loosening the grip of restraint: Investigating allegations of abuse at youth homes. Sequel Youth & Family Services, once one of the nation's largest operators of treatment centers for children with behavioral problems, plans to close three more facilities, including its flagship academy, continuing the company's contraction in the past two years amid wide-spread reports of abuse. You think you're making progress, and then it just comes back stronger, Gelser said. Tristan, now 18, was placed into foster care on his 12th birthday and bounced between group homes until 2018, when he landed at Tuskegee, an intensive psychiatric treatment facility. The 267-bed academy was Sequels largest facility and where the company was born. Its more than a year after Cornelius was murdered why are we still sending these kids to these facilities? said Rebecca Kasen, director of advocacy at Disability Rights Michigan, the federally appointed monitoring group. Norris Academy is a psychiatric residential treatment program located in Andersonville, TN. Duval Academy is a staff secure residential program located in Jacksonville, FL. According to Hunters adoptive mother, Patricia, the facility was supposed to get Hunter back on track with school, provide intensive therapy and immerse him in a Positive Peer Culture that teaches residents to support one another. Her family couldnt afford private care options that cost up to $4,000 a month, but social workers determined Lauries needs were so great that she qualified for state care. Manage the daily activities as scheduled and direct sight and sound supervision Earlier that year, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare wrote a scathing report accusing the treatment center of significant failure in staff oversight and training resulting in over 100 incidents of aberrant sexual behavior by five children over at least three months, and possibly as far back as seven months.. Assistant Controller Grow your skills and advance your career in an environment where collaboration and support come naturally. Grow your skills and advance your career in an environment where collaboration and support come naturally. He says he will continue to pursue the company for the kids he represents. [19], As of 2021, the following Sequel-owned facilities have closed:[20], In 2021, Sequel ran the following facilities:[21]. He was forced to go to the bathroom on his own breakfast tray, he said. Traditions is a community based services program located in Chinle, AZ. In Alabama Vivants application for a business registration was signed by Ripleys daughter, Christine Aron, who previously served as Sequels vice president of business development. We are passionate about what we do and delight in providing excellent programs that make permanent, positive changes in the lives of those we serve. Published: May. Its just emotionally and physically draining and exhausting to keep battling this the same concern year after year after year, he told APM Reports last year. The school, which operated under a contract with the Iowa Department of Human Services, faced charges of rape of children, beatings, and indefinite use of solitary confinement. Ripley did not return a voicemail message seeking comment, and Altamont didnt answer an email inquiry. Since 2016, the company has secured contracts worth more than $68 million from the states Department of Human Resources. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Grow your skills and advance your career in an environment where collaboration and support come naturally. According to Tristan, and confirmed by state records and accounts from advocates and four former foster children, the staff regularly used seclusion, sometimes for days, at Tuskegee and Owens Cross Roads. Woodward Community Based Services is located in Des Moines, IA and provides comprehensive in-home therapy and treatment services to multiple counties across the state. Sequel cares for more than 9,000 clients across the U.S., including foster children, children whose parents are unable to handle their behavior and children in the states juvenile justice system. A 16-year-old, Cornelius Frederick, died this year after several staff members restrained him at a Sequel facility in Michigan . Call or virtually connect to a network of U.S. Board Certified doctors, psychiatrists, and dermatologists at any time from the comfort of your own home. The company told investors it was well positioned to serve as industry consolidator, thanks in part to its clean regulatory and litigation history.. After Abuse Probe, Another Sequel-run Program that Housed California Youth Will Close. He named his new business Sequel because it was his second foray into the industry. Minnesota, Oregon and Maryland cut ties with the company following Fredricks death. Join Duval Academy and help these young adults achieve what they never dreamed possible. Grow your skills and advance your career in an environment where collaboration and support come naturally. As a member of the behavioral health services division at Sequel, Auldern Academy provides top-quality education to adolescent girls in a nurturing and therapeutic environment. Enjoy an opportunity to grow your skills and advance your career in an environment where collaboration and support come naturally. On top of those attacks, the suit states, a staff member once restrained Hunter so violently that his head hit a concrete wall and reopened an existing cut, requiring stitches. Grow your skills and advance your career in an environment where collaboration and support come naturally. Marshall also traded messages with Sequels marketing staff monitoring Gelsers social media activity when the lawmaker toured Sequel facilities that year. Sequel received little public attention before Altamont took control of it in 2017, but state regulators reported serious problems at its facilities before the private equity firm took control. An Altamont press release said Ripley would "remain involved with the business as chairman of the board through its next phases of growth." Benefits we offer are: Laurie stayed at Owens Cross Roads twice before she reunited with her family. supervision, competency reviews and training for all counselors and counselor Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? As a member of the child welfare division at Sequel, Mingus Mountain Academy helps emotionally and behaviorally at-risk adolescent girls overcome past challenges and re-enter society through peer culture, long-term comprehensive treatment and equine therapy. Sequel TSI in Tuskegee is also transitioning to a different company name as well - Vivant. The Specialist will ensure accurate Therapist [16], In February 2021, the company announced it would close the Clarinda Academy in Iowa. For children who qualify, Medicaid reimburses Sequel for medical and mental health treatment. As a member of the child welfare services division at Sequel, Lakeside Academy of Kansas provides comprehensive residential treatment to at-risk young men to help change previous behaviors and provide these young men with the tools to thrive in a traditional learning environment. COLORADO FOREIGN LIMITED-LIABILITY COMPANY. Seward is a former resident of Clarinda Academy, a Sequel Youth and Family Services which is closing down. Enjoy an opportunity to grow your skills and advance your career in an environment where collaboration and support come naturally. Unlike other Sequel facilities that accept kids from state and county governments, Auldern Academy is a private school, and it operated with little government oversight. In Alabama, where Sequel is headquartered, records reveal that reports of troubling conditions in the companys facilities have been made to state agencies for years, including mandatory child abuse and injury reports and whistleblower accounts by former Sequel employees. A free inside look at Sequel Youth And Family Services Executive Director Non Profit salary trends based on [count] salaries wages for 0 jobs at Sequel Youth And Family Services Executive Director Non Profit. ---PhoneEmail *I am interested in receiving information about: She said that most allegations made by children, staff and advocates end up being unsubstantiated, but that the company has zero tolerance for abuse and immediately reports allegations of wrongdoing to state oversight agencies. We are a leading provider of evidenced-based, trauma-responsive, and innovative services that span a continuum of care and are as unique as . Sequel TSI of Courtland is a secure residential program located in Courtland, AL. I guess we just lifted each other up.. Glenda Marshall, a program coordinator for Oregons state child welfare agency, wrote in a 2016 email to Shoemaker that the state had been struggling to find placements for foster youth. Neither side disclosed the terms of the settlement. Alachua Academy is a secure residential program located in Gainesville, FL. Attorney Tommy James says he believes this is just a surface-level change and it wont impact the quality of services at the facility. Captured on silent surveillance camera video, the death of Cornelius Fredrick Jr. was compared by some to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police that same year, and the public pressure on Sequel increased. With these closures, Sequel will operate 25 residential facilities nationwide. The facility, which Sequel operated under a contract with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, shut down the following month. I just want people to be held accountable, Patricia said. 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