U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will hold a hearing in Washington D.C. next week as part of a bipartisan inquiry into the treatment of children in the nation’s foster care system, according to an announcement from his office.
In February, Ossoff (D-Georgia), who chairs the U.S. Senate Human Rights Subcommittee, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), a ranking member on the subcommittee, said they were launching an inquiry into the safety of children in the foster care system. At the time, they requested records from Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS)
Next week’s hearing will include testimony from former foster kids, parents, and experts.
“Foster care is meant to provide sanctuary for our most vulnerable children,” Ossoff said in a statement shared with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We will hear firsthand testimony from children and parents who have suffered grievously from systemic failures, and from expert witnesses to shed light on necessary reforms.”
The inquiry was prompted in part by reporting from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Last year, the state’s ombudsman for child welfare found widespread and systemic breakdowns within Georgia DFCS. State officials vehemently disagreed with the assessment, saying that the ombudsman failed to provide any evidence backing up its claim of widespread, systemic failures within DFCS that leave children in danger.
Back in February, Ossoff and Blackburn also asked the state for more information on hoteling, or the practice of temporarily housing foster children in hotels. This practice has persisted for years in Georgia and across the nation. But the trend was made worse by the pandemic and consequent staff shortages in child welfare industries.
Department of Human Services Commissioner Candice Broce, who oversees DFCS, has pledged to end the practice. The AJC reported last month that on one night in September, DFCS reduced the number of children in foster care being temporarily housed in hotels or offices to zero.
DHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the hearing. In response to the inquiry in February, they said that “we have received the letter, and we look forward to sharing our efforts to protect Georgia’s children.”
A memo from the state’s ombudsman, written last year, identified 15 systemic breakdowns within the agency. Notably, the ombudsman found that the murder of a 4-year-old was a consequence of systemic failures that are plaguing DFCS. According to an internal review conducted by the state, there was “disturbing” mismanagement in the young boy’s case, but they found his death was an isolated tragedy.
Next week’s hearing will be held at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
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