Sen. Jon Ossoff launches investigation into Georgia’s foster care system

ATLANTA - A bipartisan group of congressional leaders is calling for an investigation into Georgia’s foster care system. This comes after the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate reported widespread neglect and abuse of children.

Georgia’s U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff launched an inquiry into the state’s foster care system after findings in the July 2022 report shined light on what he called a "major concern" for the safety of children in the state’s care. 

"It is shocking that for years, apparently, children have been locked in hotel rooms or offices," Ossoff told FOX 5.

In a letter to the Georgia Department of Human Services, Ossoff and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) demanded answers in response to the OCA investigation that concluded caseworkers were "no longer adequately responding to child abuse cases". 

"We’re talking about kids who are meant to be in the care and protection of the state who it appears have potentially been left at risk of serious abuse," Ossoff stated.

According to the letter, the report criticized placement services for suspected victims of human trafficking, sexual and physical abuse saying they were often "inadequate or inappropriate".

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) (FOX 5)

It also made mention of the state’s practice of "hoteling" children in the foster care system.

"They’re staying in hotels where they are unsupervised where they are unmonitored where it is a tremendous burden upon the social workers, case workers, DCFS, as well as the tax payer so it’s not a good situation for anybody whatsoever," Dr. David DeGarmo said Tuesday.

DeGarmo is the founder and director of the Foster Care Institute, an organization that coaches foster parents. He’s also a foster parent to four children. He told FOX 5 the system has been overwhelmed for years, which has caused both foster parents and case workers to quit after about 18 months on average. 

"There are not enough services or homes or families for these children in crisis and we see the result…children sleeping in hotels," he explained. 

While congressional leaders said they’re waiting on documents and records they’ve requested from the state, the inquiry is a first step in understanding the risk of safety to roughly 11,000 children in Georgia’s foster care system. 

A statement from the Georgia Department of Human Services reads:

"We have received the letter, and we look forward to sharing our efforts to protect Georgia’s children."