Foster Children Deaths in Texas Spur Demand for Change

Nothing is sadder than a child dying from nature causes, but such a death is beyond tragic when it happens to a foster child because of abuse and neglect by those adults tasked with protecting the child. Texas Child Protective Services is reeling from a report by the non-profit group "Texans Care for Children" that documents the deaths of ten foster kids in 2013.

The report highlights undereducated foster parents and overworked and stressed case workers. Trista Miller, a foster child who spent six years in the system, said, "I think young people are slipping through the cracks every day." Although the average foster kid spend nearly three years in foster care, many children, including Trista, spend six or more years.

Two studies cited by Martin Guggenheim, President of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, revealed that "even maltreated children left in their own homes with little or no help fared better, on average, than comparably maltreated children placed in foster care."

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is looking to hire more caseworkers among other actions to help eliminate any future foster child deaths. In the meantime, supporting efforts to locate a foster child's relatives is an important step to lessen caseloads while, more importantly, putting these children into a better, healthy situation.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico

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