Foster Care

State officials are paying a religious nonprofit more than 100 times the amount they pay foster care parents to watch vulnerable children in unlicensed short-term rental homes.

The lawsuit alleges the agency neglected the child with placements in foster homes with sexual and physical abuse.

The state has spent about $25 million housing 462 kids in foster care in hotels since 2018. State of Oregon officials regularly spend more than $2,560 per kid, per night (which includes lodging, staffing and food) to house a child in temporary lodging.

Plaintiffs say Oregon's child welfare system is in disarray and must better protect youth under state care.

There are more questions than answers in the case of a missing former foster child from Grays Harbor County. Five-year-old Oakley Carlson has been unaccounted for since February of last year. Police say her parents aren’t cooperating with the investigation. Oakley’s former foster mom questions why Oakley was sent back to live with her parents after more than two years in foster care. The governor's office and the Department of Children Youth and Families won't answer questions about the case citing privacy laws and the ongoing law enforcement investigation.

This week, Uvea revealed her identity to a panel of lawmakers for the first time. She is now 11-years-old. She spoke in favor of a bill, Senate Bill 707, sponsored by Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, that would allow all Oregon youth sent across state lines between 2016 and 2019 to access all their relevant records documenting their time in a facility or facilities.

Washington state is the latest to announce it’s severing ties with a for-profit company that has been accused of widespread neglect and abuse of kids. Oregon also relied on Sequel Youth and Family Services to care for vulnerable kids.

We learn about the lax rules for lawyers who represent foster kids, and the pilot program that seems to be making a difference.

The state allegedly placed young children in a mold-ridden home that reeked of cat urine, with foster parents who physically and sexually abused the children.

These women’s stories help illustrate how Oregon’s child welfare system is broken — and how it can be fixed.