foster care

At least 48 Texas children are housed at facilities run by organizations under an investigation launched by two U.S. senators.

Over the past five years, the state has ended its responsibilities for minor children 170 times — despite the youth being missing or having run away.

The court-appointed watchdogs expressed concern after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a state-licensed facility in Bastrop had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct.

Most of the deaths were attributed to “preexisting medical conditions” or abuse suffered before the children entered the system, according to the DFPS report. The numbers are on par with those reported in previous years.

Watchdogs appointed by a federal court found there is evidence of abuse and exploitation after reviewing thousands of documents and recordings.

The former child care investigations director said there are agency-wide communication issues that led to a breakdown in relaying key information, but two of his staff members are the ones who suffered the consequences.

It was also revealed at a special Texas Senate committee meeting that the Texas foster care worker who allegedly sold nude pictures of girls is also accused of dating a child trafficker.

O’Rourke said the governor ignored longstanding problems that allegedly allowed foster kids, who had been victims of sex trafficking, to be abused by employees at a state-contracted facility charged with caring for children.

Although child care providers have mostly reopened, 8% have closed permanently since the start of the pandemic — and 57% of Texas counties still qualify as child care deserts.

The children were sexually abused and neglected while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to a report from a current employee.

The federal judge overseeing the decade-long lawsuit against Texas for conditions in its foster care system cut this week’s hearing short. She proposed all parties involved, including the governor, “cut to the chase” to identify solutions.

Increased oversight and lack of funding mean hundreds of children spend their nights in hotels and churches and on office floors.