ATLANTA — A new congressional report issued this week that examined Georgia's foster care system is withering in its descriptions of the system's failures, saying they "contributed to the deaths of children" and that more than 400 children who went missing while a ward of the system were likely sex trafficked.
The report was issued by the Senate Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, which is chaired by Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
The report alleges pervasive mismanagement at Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), calling it a "key contributor to child deaths and serious injuries."
DFCS, in an extensive 11-page response to the report, calls the findings "unfounded, speculative claims" that include "irresponsible assertions about the cause of children’s deaths and injuries that omit or mischaracterize important data and context provided by DFCS."
RELATED: Child care advocates share experiences with state's foster care system, detailing abuse and neglect
The report results from a lengthy congressional investigation of Georgia's foster care system by the Ossoff-chaired subcommittee. Multiple hearings were held, including as recently as November.
You can read the full report and the full DFCS response at the bottom of this story.
The subcommittee investigation determined that DFCS failed to "adequately assess and respond to safety risks in 84% of cases reviewed" between March and June 2023. The report further states that under federal standards, that means DFCS "failed to make 'concerted efforts to assess and address the risk and safety concerns relating to the child(ren) in their own homes or while in foster care.'"
DFCS said that figure lacked context, however, and was "cherry-picked from a single sample" to focus on the "single worst review outcome." The agency said more recent data from the federal Children's Bureau "lists Georgia as one of the national leaders for its low rate of maltreatment in foster care."
The report also touched on previous findings publicized by the subcommittee and Sen. Ossoff, including that nearly 1,800 children who were under DFCS care were reported missing between 2018-2022. The report notes that representatives for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children testified that 410 of those children were likely sex trafficked.
DFCS said that number was "based on national figures and projections, not evidence specific to any case from Georgia." The agency also said the larger missing children number is likely skewed by those "who were located after they aged out of custody and who declined to sign back into DFCS custody." In those cases, DFCS said, the child has been found but "cannot be reported as back in DFCS care." The agency provided data stating that between 2013 and 2022, 99% of missing children cases were resolved -- "meaning that the child either returned home, remained in the custody of law enforcement, or was in contact with their parent or legal guardian but would not be returning home."
While alleging deep failures at DFCS, the report said the subcommittee "acknowledges the inherent difficulty of Georgia DFCS' crucial mission and the many challenges faced by the agency" and also "recognizes and honors the daily efforts of DFCS' frontline workforce—the overwhelming majority of whom work hard in good faith to serve Georgia's vulnerable children."
DFCS, for its part, said in its response it "welcomes a neutral and unbiased approach in reviewing child welfare and family services in Georgia" but accused the subcommittee of a "lack of professionalism and transparency."
Senate Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law report, "Abuse & Neglect of Children in Georgia's Foster Care System"
DFCS response
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