The state Department of Human Services (Courtesy/State of Oregon)
Oregon had the lowest number of children in foster care in 15 years, the state Department of Human Services said on Thursday.
According to the department, there were 6,118 children in foster care as of Jan. 1, 2021, a decrease of 11% compared to 2019. The department further reported that it has returned all children sent to out-of-state residential treatment facilities, a practice that’s drawn criticism for its lack of oversight and potential to put kids in abusive situations.
The department is also relying less on hotels to temporarily house children in its care. According to the department, it has decreased the use of hotels by 66% in the last 12 months (a drop that could be attributable to teachers and coaches being unable to report abuse because of pandemic-related school closures).
Additionally, the wait times at the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline decreased in 2020 by 46% from eight minutes in 2019 to about four and a half minutes.
In recent years, the department’s child welfare division has come under scrutiny following reports of high turnover, allowing abuse and neglect to go unmonitored.
In 2020, the department’s child welfare division launched an effort to prevent maltreatment of children and support families. It described its plan in a document titled “Vision for Transformation.”
-Jake Thomas
