Washington spent $37,000 per month caring for foster child, records show
A Washington lawmaker says the state’s foster care program isn’t getting the most out of its taxpayer money. Author: Chris Ingalls Updated: 9:51 PM PST March 5, 2021
OLYMPIA, Wash. The cost of caring for one foster child at a group home in Kent was $37,000 per month, according to records filed with the Washington state Legislature.
Records show six other foster children who also take a big bite every month out of the state’s foster care budget, with care costs ranging from $17,639 to $31,582 per month.
While those cases are extreme, state Representative Michelle Caldier (R-Port Orchard) says they highlight a dysfunctional foster care system that relies too much on a network of group homes to care for foster children with severe behavioral or medical problems.
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Washington s foster children still spend more nights in hotels, despite investigation
Washington state, again, is seeing an increase in the number of foster children who are spending more nights in hotel rooms over licensed homes. Author: Chris Ingalls Updated: 10:53 AM PST December 14, 2020
SEATTLE A new report reveals Washington state’s foster children are spending more nights in hotel rooms instead of licensed care homes.
The increase comes despite a KING 5 investigation in February in which the secretary of the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) pledged to curb the practice.
In his 2020 year-end report, DCYF ombuds Patrick Dowd said children in the foster care program spent a combined total of 1,863 nights in hotel rooms, under the watch of social workers or security guards. That’s a 23% increase in the number of total nights in a hotel room when compared to last year, which also saw a significant incre