Dear Allegra,
In fellcw-up te cur ccrrespendence last weeI-r.I belcw is cur te yeur ineuiry. which can attribute tc me directly.

1We are in this business because we care deeply and are dedicated tc helping children ceme very challenging situatiens. Many members cf cur management
team have spent their entire careers werlting directly with er en behalf ef I-tids in the tester system.

As ycu have pcinted cut in ycur extensive ceverage cf the welfare system, it deesn?t cperate as well as it shculd. It's under?reseurced. with far mere demand services
than access tc care. te the Naticnal Child Abuse and Neglect Data SystemI in EMS an average cf five children per day died frem abuse er
neglectI a 14% increase frem 2012. Many children we serve are ceurt mandated te eur pregrams after the system has failed them at multiple previcus pcints. By the time
they reach us, theyfve experienced significant traumas.

We diligently te ensure that we are prcviding the best care pcssible fer cur students. including ccntinually impreving eur pclicies and prccedures. If we identify a
in cur erganizaticn. we self?repert it and mal-te the apprepriate ccrrecticn immediately. The safety cf the students in cur care is cur primary fccus each and every
day. Clur practices have evclved ever the years tc I-teep pace with changes in best practices in the field- We emphasize de-escalatien beth with cur staff and cur students.
It is cur pclicy te cnly use restraints as an emergency safety interventicn in twe situaticns. where a student is a threat tc himself er ers, and in these cases tc use the
minimal level ef interventien pcssible.

The lcwa Department cf Human Servicesr mest recent repert en Clarinda. dated Hevember 201B. that eur use ef restraints as an emergency safety
interventien were all apprepriate and were ccnsistently utilized fer the safety cf the students and peeple arcund them. As part ef that investigaticnI lewa DHS interviewed
a large sample size cf the staff and student pcpulatien at Clarinda. including students each cf cur dcrmiteries, as well as research inte the files cf students whe had

an emergency safety interventien. The repcrt includes evidence cf apprepriate staff trainingI pelicies and precedures, preper implementaticnI and the ability
tc address cencerns expediticusly.

Clarinda and the ether twe pregrams ycu reference all have their full licensure status. As a behavieral health crganizaticnI we are subject tc censtant mcnitcring by state
regulatery and licensing eversight bcdies. as well as The Jcint Semmissicn. Dur facilities each receive dczens cf en?site assessments per yearI including many
unanncunced visits- In additicn te these eversight authcrities. students receive regular. required child welfare checI-ts frem their families and case care
agencies, whe meet with students directly.

We denit just rely en these hundreds cf eutside evaluaticn teuch peints. We have internal quality and rigcrcus training te ensure that the care and we
prcvide cur students is mnsistent with all best practices and reaches eur high standards cf respect fer cur studentsr dignity. We are prcud cf cur level ef
transparency, the excellent treatment we deliver and the fer success that we prcvide tc every stud ent-?

Sincerely.

Steve Gilbert

Executive Vice President

Sequel Tcuth and Family Services


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