Paris Hilton: Inhumane Treatment At Residential Facilities Will ‘Affect Me For The Rest Of My Life’

3 months ago

During a House Ways & Means Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) questioned witnesses, including Paris Hilton, about combating the mistreatment and abuse of children.

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Transcript

00:00Mr. Thompson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding today's hearing and thank you to

00:04all the witnesses for being here. This might be the best example of all of the

00:13wonderful people throughout all of our districts that are doing great work that

00:19is incredibly beneficial. This panel of witnesses is absolutely

00:26fantastic, so thank you all for what you're doing. Title IV-B of the Social

00:31Security Act provides significant federal funding to target the root

00:36causes of the mistreatment of children and provide critical services to help

00:41kids and families in need. These funds help states provide a lifeline to kids

00:49and to families who've experienced or are in imminent risk of experiencing

00:55foster care problems and to help support community-based services for

01:01struggling families. From hiring and training caseworkers, contracting with

01:07nonprofits to provide prevention services, and improving family court

01:12services, this funding makes a real difference in the lives of children.

01:18According to my home state, the Californias, which is the answer, Mr.

01:23Gein, to your question, according to the legislative analysts in California, the

01:30average monthly caseload for our state's child welfare system is overwhelming.

01:38Everything from in-person investigations, maintenance support,

01:43reunification services, and permanent placement. In my district, there are over

01:491,200 children currently living in foster care and 800 families involved

01:54in dependency court cases, and many counties are struggling to find beds and

01:59services for transition-age youth. So I look forward to this reauthorization in

02:06a bipartisan way so we can provide the critical resources for our most at-risk

02:13constituents. And Ms. Hilton, I want to thank you for your compelling and

02:19courageous testimony today and the work that you've been doing, not only to

02:26highlight the problems that you face, but the problems that many others face on a

02:31day-to-day basis. It's terribly troubling and we need to do everything we can to

02:36change that. And what do you think that this committee can do in our

02:45reauthorization legislation that would best help not only making these

02:49facilities more transparent, but ensuring that if children are at these facilities,

02:55they receive the proper care and services that they need?

02:59Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate what you just said, and I think

03:06it's just important for there to be oversight and regulation. People need to

03:11know that they're being watched. What I experienced in these places was inhumane,

03:18and it's something that will affect me for the rest of my life. And after

03:23speaking to thousands of survivors who have been through the same experiences, I

03:28think it's just important to listen to survivors because we have the lived

03:34experience. And I just want to say again, I'm so grateful to be sitting here in

03:39front of all of you who could help make a difference in so many children's lives.

03:43And I think it's just continuing to do that and to pass this.

03:50Thank you. Mr. Gehn, you mentioned the capacity issue, and this is an issue I

03:58can't imagine it being satisfactory in anybody else's district. It's certainly

04:02not in mine. What do we need to do to increase that capacity? It seems that we

04:09just lost a great facility in my district, and that was not enough.

04:15We needed four or five more just in that one community. So let's be clear. If the

04:21testimony of those with lived experience doesn't move you, the research is clear.

04:26Children do best in families, clearly. There will always be a need for children

04:32to have different forms of care, and we have to invest in them. That means that

04:37there will be children going into foster care. It also means that for a very

04:42small number of children, they will require a short-term intervention that

04:48may be residential-based. It is not a placement, it's not a place for a child

04:52to stay for a long time. But we need those very limited facilities to be

04:58exceptionally high quality, to be therapeutic, to be involving family in

05:04those children. The purpose of that intervention is for the child to go home

05:08and succeed in a family. So we need to cover the landscape of the continuum

05:14that is needed. Thank you. I think that you said it best. This is about success

05:18for these kids. Mr. Buchanan was spot-on when he said this is our future, and we

05:23can do a lot to help. So thank you all very much. I yield back. Thank you, Mr.

05:27Kelly.

Paris Hilton: Inhumane Treatment At Residential Facilities Will ‘Affect Me For The Rest Of My Life’

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