Scope of the Survey

  The scope of GAO's survey is very specific and important in order for us to aggregate responses across states that use different terminology for similar types of residential care. We ask that you be sure to include this page if you send any survey questions to others for response. You can print the page by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the 'print' button.

Please limit your survey responses to residential facilities that meet 3 criteria (1) they require residence at the facility; (2) they provide most of the targeted services, as described below, on-site; and (3) they serve youth aged 12 to 17; the facilities may also serve younger or older children as long as they serve the targeted age group.

The targeted residential services covered by the survey include

  -- residential treatment services for youth with clinically or medically
     diagnosed behavioral, emotional, mental health, or substance abuse
     issues;

  --residential behavior modification or treatment services for youth
     with potential behavioral, emotional, mental health or substance
     abuse issues that have not been clinically or medically diagnosed;

  --residential services for pregnant teens;

  --behavioral correction or rehabilitative residential services for
     pre-adjudicated or other incorrigible youth (e.g., youth placed in
     residential facilities by parents or custodians);

  --behavior modification, discipline, or character education provided at
     residential schools or academies for incorrigible youth
     (adjudicated, pre-adjudicated, or placed by parents or custodians).

The types of residence can include treatment facilities, therapeutic foster homes if the therapy is provided primarily on-site, boot camps, wilderness camps, ranches, dormitories, training or reform schools, and boarding schools.

We are excluding from review (1) adult prisons; (2) hospitals, nursing homes, and facilities that serve children who are medically fragile; (3) homes and other places where on-site services are primarily housing and child care while targeted services (e.g., mental health care, juvenile rehabilitation services, behavior modification) are provided in the community (such as family or some group foster care homes, orphanages, homeless shelters, half-way houses, some therapeutic foster homes, and similar places); (4) recreational programs, such as summer sports camps; and (5) military high schools, college preparatory schools, and residential schools for children with sensory or physical disabilities.

Our review encompasses the most common types of residential facilities providing targeted services: (1) government-operated facilities, (2) private sector facilities that operate with a mix of government and private funds (e.g., facilities with state or county contracts, facilities certified to accept Medicaid or Medicare); and (3) private sector, entirely privately-funded facilities (including faith-based facilities that receive no government funds).
 

Navigation, Exiting and Printing the Survey

  It is important that you always use the "Exit" button at the bottom of the screen to close the survey. If you do not, you will lose all the information that you entered in the section of the survey where you improperly exited the program.

Until the Web site closing date, you may reopen and work on your survey. When you reopen the survey, it will go to the last response you entered. You can change your answers, even after exiting, by reopening the survey.

Please do not use the "Enter" key on your keyboard to navigate through the survey. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen or the topic menu on the left side of the screen.

You are provided a link at the end of the survey to view and print your survey responses. Also, you have the option of printing your responses at the end of each section by pressing the "Print" button.
 

Contact

  If your response will be delayed or if you have any questions, please call or e-mail one of the following individuals: [the name, e-mail, and telephone number of two GAO staff appeared here]
 


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