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Level 14

A Home for Troubled Children Comes Undone

How a home for troubled children came undone and what it means for California’s chance at reform.

Impact of Our Reporting
Caret

Level 14

California Group Home Liable for Millions in Case of Abused Boy

A jury hit FamiliesFirst, one of California’s largest mental health care providers, for neglect and fraud.

Level 14

California Backs off Group Homes, Looks to Lean on Foster Families

As California dismantles its beleaguered system of youth group homes, state lawmakers bet big on expanding foster care.

Level 14

Troubled California Group Home to Close

Management’s decision to close a home in Long Beach ends one crisis, but the state is still seeking answers for dealing with its most troubled children.

17 stories published since 2015

Uncommon Contract Holds Promise for California Group Home’s Too Familiar Ills

For Many of Connecticut’s Disabled, Home Is Where the Harm Is

Alerted to Danger, New York City Failed to Curb Harm at Group Homes

Investigation Exposes Failings of Oversight in NYC Group Homes

Report Cites Failure to Act Against Abusers of Juveniles in Detention

Los Angeles County Examines Troubled Group Home’s Finances

‘No Place for a Kid to Go’

In Rare Step, Workers at California Group Home Unionize

Widespread Problems With Group Home Agency Prompt City to Cut Ties

Violent Crimes Mar Effort at Less Restrictive Homes for Children

Congress to Consider Scaling Down Group Homes for Troubled Children

Investigations of California Group Homes Marked By Delays and Uncertainty

Podcast: Reporting The How And Why After A Disaster

Investigative Journalism, Illustrated: A Q&A With Level 14 Creators

Level 14

Level 14: Inside One of California's Most Dangerous Juvenile Homes

How We Reported 'Level 14'

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

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Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

Most Read

    “Delay, Interfere, Undermine”

    President Donald Trump has praised Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele as a crime fighter, but new reporting based on interviews and documents reveals how senior Salvadoran officials have impeded a U.S. investigation of the MS-13 gang.

    Portland Said It Was Investing in Homeless People’s Safety. Deaths Have Quadrupled.

    The city responded to an increase in homeless deaths by intensifying encampment sweeps and adding emergency shelter at the expense of permanent housing. Experts say this has perpetuated the problem.

    Local Reporting Network

    “The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention

    One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.

    The DOGE 100: Musk Is Out, but More Than 100 of His Followers Remain to Implement Trump’s Blueprint

    At least 38 DOGE members work, or have worked, for one of Elon Musk’s companies. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen DOGE officials are making cuts to the same federal agencies that regulate the industries that employed them.

    Senators Demand Transparency on Canceled Veterans Affairs Contracts

    Following a ProPublica investigation into how DOGE had developed an error-prone AI tool to determine which VA contracts should be killed, a trio of lawmakers said the Trump administration continues to “stonewall” their requests for details.