Investigations found that the Rhode Island Department of Child Welfare excessively hospitalized children with disabilities

The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families is accused of “traumatizing” children with developmental disabilities through routine hospitalizations, according to a federal investigation.

“It is nothing short of appalling that the state has chosen to place children in a mental health facility instead of committing to the community care, support and services these children need and that the law requires,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha . “I hope that the findings we announce today will spur the state to take swift action to meet its obligations under federal law and, more importantly, to ensure that the civil rights of these children are upheld.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, the investigation found that the agency failed to provide services that would have helped hundreds of children with mental illness and developmental disabilities live independently at home or in a family home rather than in a psychiatric hospital .

Over a four-year period, the investigation found that 527 children were admitted to Bradley Hospital, an acute psychiatric hospital, more than once a month. Of these, 116 were in hospital for more than 100 days, 42 were in hospital for more than 180 days and seven children were in hospital for more than a year. Many of these children were subjected to these avoidable and unnecessarily long hospital stays at Bradley because DCYF was unable to provide the community-based services they needed, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

“Leaving a child in hospital for an extended period of time when their needs could be met in a less restrictive environment only exacerbates the child’s acute needs. In fact, the investigation found that prolonged hospitalization often leads to traumatization of children and their families,” the statement said.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights. The findings are part of a broader effort to reform the state’s child protection system and improve services for people with disabilities.

Janus-faced generative intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with reporting in this story.