A federal judge again is threatening to hold Texas in contempt of court for not bringing its system of long-term foster care up to par.
At a Dallas hearing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack said she’s especially upset over bad things happening to the children who are being tended around the clock by Child Protective Services workers in offices, motels and church-owned buildings.Jack cited harrowing stories from her monitors’ fifth report, including a 13-year-old girl who was a confirmed victim of sex trafficking.
Among many failings of the state she may invoke as reasons for heavy fines, Jack cited Texas’ inability to stop tending to its most troubled foster kids in state offices and makeshift settings. “And another one ran off that was supposed to be ‘in sight,’ whatever that means. They’re supposed to be supervised with clear sight — and [she] wasn’t and came back being raped and pregnant. So these are not safe placements.”which is a co-defendant in the case with Gov. Greg Abbott and the Health and Human Services Commission.
She also quizzed state officials on why they don’t pair more kids with grandparents and other relatives and familiar faces, by paying more for kinship care. “One of my top legislative priorities this session is to bring parity [with licensed foster families’ reimbursements,] so we can have better outcomes for kids,” he said. “We have better outcomes in kinship care than with the foster care program.”
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