Report: Foster care in Oregon is getting worse

Oregon's foster care system is getting worse and recent attempts to improve have only exacerbated some problems, according to a draft report released this week.

Consultants auditing the Oregon Department of Human Services at the request of Gov. Kate Brown found:

• Foster children in Oregon are being abused at an increasing rate — nearly double the national median rate
• The current abuse reporting procedure is not standardized, and rated as untrustworthy
• DHS does not adequately follow up on abuse investigations
• Foster care providers are not adequately trained to care for high-needs children
• There is a rush to certify foster homes and place children, which compromises safety standards

'I was so broken': 14 years in foster care

What's more, consultants found that legislation passed this year which increased regulations on foster care providers had the unintended effect of pushing away good foster parents and causing strain within DHS.

The legislation's sponsor, Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, said those findings are "factually inaccurate," when reached by phone Thursday. The bill does not add many new regulations, and if foster homes have been shed because of it, that would be an intended consequence, she said.

Consultants said some child abuse could be avoided if there were more foster homes and better training of foster parents. Currently, space availability drives where children are placed, rather than a child's needs, according to the report.

They also said DHS could centralize and standardize its processes for investigating child abuse and adopt clear protocols that include following up on claims of abuse.

Beyond identifying problem areas, the report also recommended system-wide improvements for DHS, including suggestions as simple as that DHS should follow its own policies.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Kate Brown said Thursday that there is more work to be done to improve foster care in Oregon. DHS officials were not immediately available for comment.

A final report from the auditors is expected in September.

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