Georgia
Sen. Jon Ossoff launches investigation into Georgia’s foster care system
Lawmakers calling for investigation into Georgia’s foster care system
A state company report raised considerations about widespread neglect and abuse of youngsters. Now Congressional leaders from either side of the aisle need solutions.
ATLANTA – A bipartisan group of congressional leaders is looking for an investigation into Georgia’s foster care system. This comes after the Georgia Workplace of the Little one Advocate reported widespread neglect and abuse of youngsters.
Georgia’s U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff launched an inquiry into the state’s foster care system after findings within the July 2022 report shined gentle on what he known as a “main concern” for the protection of youngsters within the state’s care.
“It’s stunning that for years, apparently, kids have been locked in resort rooms or workplaces,” Ossoff informed FOX 5.
In a letter to the Georgia Division of Human Providers, Ossoff and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) demanded solutions in response to the OCA investigation that concluded caseworkers had been “not adequately responding to youngster abuse instances”.
“We’re speaking about children who are supposed to be within the care and safety of the state who it seems have probably been left liable to severe abuse,” Ossoff acknowledged.
In accordance with the letter, the report criticized placement providers for suspected victims of human trafficking, sexual and bodily abuse saying they had been usually “insufficient or inappropriate”.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) (FOX 5)
It additionally made point out of the state’s apply of “hoteling” kids within the foster care system.
“They’re staying in resorts the place they’re unsupervised the place they’re unmonitored the place it’s a great burden upon the social employees, case employees, DCFS, in addition to the tax payer so it’s not a very good scenario for anyone by any means,” Dr. David DeGarmo mentioned Tuesday.
DeGarmo is the founder and director of the Foster Care Institute, a company that coaches foster dad and mom. He’s additionally a foster father or mother to 4 kids. He informed FOX 5 the system has been overwhelmed for years, which has brought on each foster dad and mom and case employees to give up after about 18 months on common.
“There usually are not sufficient providers or properties or households for these kids in disaster and we see the outcome…kids sleeping in resorts,” he defined.
Whereas congressional leaders mentioned they’re ready on paperwork and data they’ve requested from the state, the inquiry is a primary step in understanding the danger of security to roughly 11,000 kids in Georgia’s foster care system.
An announcement from the Georgia Division of Human Providers reads:
“We now have obtained the letter, and we look ahead to sharing our efforts to guard Georgia’s kids.”