Addressing Abuse and Mistreatment of Youth Placed in Residential Treatment Facilities: The Context – Problems can arise when placements are made without verifying that these important elements of residential care are in place. A basic source of verification of program quality is that the program is licensed by the state in which it is located; a higher source of verification is accreditation by a national organization. Neither is foolproof and questionable programs may exist with one or both of these “seals of approval.” Alternatively, good programs may exist with neither of these approvals. Thus, the issue of program quality is complex, but extremely important to the well-being and safety of children and precedes any consideration of treatment effectiveness. This symposium addresses the most basic measure of quality—how states handle the issue of licensure; how they review or monitor the programs they license; and how they address problems that arise when the requirements for good child care, good treatment and good education are deficient.