Two new reports reveal troubling details about kids and teens in Texas’s foster care system.
During the first half of 2021, 501 children have spent at least one night in their caseworkers’ offices or in hotel rooms because the state could not find a licensed agency or center to take them.
The average stay in these unlicensed placements in August 2021 was more than 18 days, an increase of more than 1,000% over December 2019’s average of 1.6 days, according to a report published by the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Another report from court-appointed monitors who serve as watchdogs over the system found these children without placement are being watched by supervisors who lack proper training, which has led to instances of child-on-child abuse.
The monitors’ report said there is evidence one youth fell victim to sex trafficking while in state custody.
At a hearing in federal court, Paul Yetter, a Houston-based attorney representing children in foster care, questioned DFPS Commissioner Jaime Masters.
“You are failing these children without safe placements by not putting them in a safe place to live. Isn’t the state doing that, Commissioner Masters?” he asked.
“I do feel like I am failing children,” she responded.
Yetter added, “And the state is failing children. That is the state’s obligation.”
Masters replied, “The state charges me with doing that.”
The virtual hearing was in U.S. District Judge Janis Jack’s courtroom.
She’s heard cases involving the foster care system for more than a decade, and she told all the parties involved she was tired of hearing too much talk and seeing too little action.