Finding that foster children are “shuttled through a system where rape, abuse, psychotropic medication, and instability are the norm,” a federal court recently ruled that Texans are violating the constitutional rights of our foster children by subjecting them to an unreasonable risk of harm. Gov. Abbott should boldly call a special legislative session to reform foster care and protect these children.
Child Protective Services caseworkers are responsible for too many children to ensure their safety. The court found that one worker for 20 children is about as high as you can safely go. In Texas, though, about a third of workers have caseloads of 21 to 30 children. About a tenth have caseloads of 31 to 36 children — and some even have caseloads of 36 or more children.
Source: Abbott should call a special session to fix foster care, by F. Scott McCown