privatization

A linchpin provider of Texas’ budding plan to privatize the placement of foster youth across the massive state has dealt a blow to the concept by unexpectedly walking away from its contract with the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Florida’s child welfare chief handed in his resignation letter Friday, weeks after the official acknowledged that the agency had done a “bad job” protecting multiple children from sexual abuse at the hands of foster parents.

In December 2015, a federal judge issued a scathing ruling against Texas’s child welfare system, saying “foster children often age out of care more damaged than when they entered” and ordered a laundry list of fixes the state needed to implement.

Hank Whitman, a Texas law enforcement veteran who was brought in three years ago to lead the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), announced this week that he will retire from state service at the end of June.

Texas’ Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is moving forward with its privatization of foster care in 30 new counties across the state. The “community-based care” model allows the state to contract with private companies to recruit foster parents, locate suitable homes for children in foster care, and provide reunification services to families.

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) was hit this week with a federal class-action lawsuit stemming from its failure to supply enough foster home beds in the state’s southern region, a problem the state’s legislature is hoping to address with legislation aimed at shortening the length of stay in care.

The Senate Finance Committee quickly followed the release of its report on privatization of foster care on Wednesday with legislation that tracked many of the recommendations made in the report. You can read all about the report here, and the bill here.

An audit of the Kansas foster care system found the state doesn’t ensure children are placed close to home or receive all services they need. The Legislature’s independent auditing team presented the third part of its report on the Kansas foster care system Friday to the Legislative Post Audit Committee.

In December, just before the holidays, the L.A. Times published a lengthy story by reporter Garrett Therolf that called into question the state’s use of private foster family agencies. The state has relied on private providers for the bulk of foster parent recruitment and training for the past 27 years, and spends approximately $400 million each year on those organizations.