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Sex abuse in group homes is a terrible type of case that we see regularly. You are here because:
Give us a call and we can address all your questions and fill you in on the legal process. Your consultation comes at no charge. Learn more from a child molestation attorney.
Run by the state government, group homes vary widely in the way they're run and in accommodation size / number of residents. Some are smaller, with less than a dozen children, closer in size and scope to a private foster home. Others, usually chosen for children with significant behavioral or psychological issues, may be larger and more institutional in nature, often providing therapy regimens, tutoring and schooling, counseling, and a highly-structured daily schedule.
Continue Reading: Public School Sexual Abuse Lawsuits: Lawyers Against Child Molestation
The degree of security and level of restrictions enforced on the residents in group homes also covers a wide range. Children who have been noted in their case files to be particularly unstable or violent are assigned to more restrictive homes, which may make use of alarms and other invasive security equipment to monitor the residents’ behavior and rein in their personal freedom.
Children may be required to do regular chores and teens may also be encouraged to work outside jobs. “House parents” can choose to enforce additional rules and regulations for residents, including those based on religious beliefs, especially if the group home is billed as faith-based. You can learn more about groups homes and other types of foster care on the FindLaw website.
Children who were sexually abused in group homes may be able to press criminal charges against the perpetrator(s) and also file civil lawsuits against the agencies or individuals running the group home / care facilities where the abuse took place.
Youth care agencies are responsible for ensuring that children in their care have safe, decent living conditions, and when these organizations fail in this duty, they may be found legally obligated to compensate victims of abuse. Here are some recent cases involving alleged child sex abuse in group homes:
Group homes across the country have been rocked by accusations of sexual abuse and neglect.
NBC Bay Area ran a comprehensive 3-year investigation on conditions in California group homes by interviewing personnel and reviewing records from the California’s Department of Social Services. Reporters found over 800 violations committed by group homes in the area, which are responsible for housing about 3,700 youth. The shocking expose revealed violations such as:
Although many of the violations uncovered were extremely serious, posing an “immediate threat” to the children living at the group homes in question, some of the group home facilities were allowed to remain open, though on probation.
Though group homes are generally nonprofit ventures that are government-funded, many make a considerable amount of money from taxpayer revenue.
Some group homes put this funding to good use and provide decent housing, food, care, support, and guidance to the youth in their care. Others may be running group home facilities primarily for the money it provides, and show a distinct lack of concern for the well-being of their charges, leading to poor living conditions and incidents of violence and abuse, both from other residents and from group home staff.
The Post and Courier reports that the Boys Home of the South group home in South Carolina has since shut down due to a highly-publicized sex abuse lawsuit filed by a former resident who says he was repeatedly molested by a staff member during his time there. The plaintiff continually tried to tell other staff members and his assigned caseworker about the abuse, but he was ignored, and eventually gave up on getting help from anyone he knew.
Appallingly, though the facility had to be investigated 3 dozen times for complaints of abuse and neglect, it stayed opened until the recent lawsuit hit and was receiving roughly $1.5 million a month.
