{"id":17524,"date":"2023-02-17T12:05:21","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T17:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&p=17524"},"modified":"2023-02-17T12:05:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T17:05:22","slug":"new-sen-ossoff-launches-bipartisan-inquiry-into-alleged-abuse-neglect-of-children-in-georgias-foster-care-system","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/new-sen-ossoff-launches-bipartisan-inquiry-into-alleged-abuse-neglect-of-children-in-georgias-foster-care-system\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW: Sen. Ossoff Launches Bipartisan Inquiry into Alleged Abuse & Neglect of Children in Georgia\u2019s Foster Care System<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Human Rights Subcommittee Chairman Ossoff launches bipartisan inquiry following reports that children in the care of Georgia\u2019s state government have been subjected to abuse and neglect<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to AJC<\/em><\/a>, investigation by the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) revealed widespread and systemic breakdowns within state\u2019s foster care system<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington, D.C. \u2014 <\/strong>U.S. Senate Human Rights Subcommittee Chairman Jon Ossoff is launching a bipartisan inquiry<\/a> following reports<\/a> that children in the care of Georgia\u2019s state government have been subjected to abuse and neglect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Chairman Ossoff and Ranking Member Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) demanded answers from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) on their ability to keep children safe under their care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs leaders, we have no higher obligation than to protect those who cannot protect themselves \u2013 especially children at risk of abuse or neglect,\u201d Human Rights Subcommittee Chairman Ossoff and Ranking Member Blackburn wrote.<\/strong> \u201cOur nation’s foster care systems implicate the most fundamental human rights of American families and children, including their safety, dignity, and wellbeing. Yet recent official and press reports raise serious concerns about the ability of Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children in its care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution<\/em><\/a>, an investigation by the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) into DFCS revealed widespread, systemic breakdowns within the foster care system, including caseworkers not adequately responding to child abuse cases and that placement services for victims of human trafficking, sexual abuse, or physical abuse were often \u201cinadequate\u201d or \u201cinappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sens. Ossoff and Blackburn also demanded answers on recent reporting by WSB-TV in Atlanta<\/a> that DFCS and the state of Georgia spent $28 million last year alone to house children in hotels, often for months at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff continues to champion efforts to keep children across Georgia safe. Last year, Sen. Ossoff\u2019s bipartisan bill to protect children from online predators and sexual exploitation<\/a> <\/strong>passed the U.S. Senate, taking it a step closer to becoming law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click aqu\u00ed<\/a> to read the lawmakers\u2019 bipartisan inquiry.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Human Rights Subcommittee Chairman Ossoff launches bipartisan inquiry following reports that children in the care of Georgia\u2019s state government have been subjected to abuse and neglect According to AJC, investigation by the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) revealed widespread and systemic breakdowns within state\u2019s foster care system Washington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senate Human Rights […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17524","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/17524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/17524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17526,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/17524\/revisions\/17526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}