Capitol Beat: U.S. Senate Panel Hears Tragic Stories from Georgia’s Foster Care System
This article features Government Accountability Project clients and was originally published here.
ATLANTA – The mother of a murdered two-year-old girl and a young woman neglected and abused in Georgia’s foster-care system described their tragic experiences Wednesday to a U.S. Senate subcommittee.
The Senate’s Human Rights Subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., launched a bipartisan investigation eight months ago into the treatment of foster children in the United States. The probe included a review of audits conducted by the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS).
Among its findings was a previously undisclosed internal audit this year that revealed DFCS failed in 84% of cases brought to the agency’s attention to address risks and safety concerns.
“What we have learned is happening to children in the state’s care and in the care of state agencies across the country is heartbreaking,” Ossoff said. “Instead of safety, too many children have experienced neglect, abuse, apathy, humiliation.”
Rachel Aldridge of Georgia told the subcommittee about the death of her…
