California is bringing 116 kids home after reports of abuse in faraway programs

California county officials must find new homes and services for 116 children who were sent to out-of-state facilities for mental health and behavior issues following a state decision to stop sending struggling youth to programs far from home.

A recent investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle and The Imprint found that California’s Department of Social Services knew for years that children who were sent to programs run by a for-profit company called Sequel Youth & Family Services outside of California reported abuse including choking, punching and sexual assault by staffers at the facilities.

In May, one teenager in Michigan died after staff members piled on top of him for throwing pieces of bread in the cafeteria, the Chronicle reported.

Now, counties must find new and safe homes for the more than 100 children who have been ordered to return to California.

“To receive the news last week in this way puts us in a very difficult position,” San Francisco Juvenile Probation Chief Katy Miller told the Chronicle. “But as difficult as it is, I’m hopeful that it will lead to options for kids in California that meet their needs.”