Foster Care & Extended Foster Care, In the News, Juvenile Justice
CDSS Fails to Properly Investigate Group Homes
An investigation by ProPublica has found that the California Department of Social Services fails to swiftly or conclusively investigate hundreds of claims of misconduct and other problems in group homes that house the state’s most troubled children. ProPublica reviewed more than 450 complaint investigations undertaken by the agency between 2009 and 2014 from roughly 50 Level 14 group homes, the residential facilities for California’s most acutely disturbed children. More than half the investigations produced “inconclusive” findings, meaning that no determination of facts was reached in cases that involved sexual abuse, physical assaults, drug use or inadequate care at the facilities. In the article, YLC Managing Director Maria Ramiu said the inconclusive reports suggest a lack of training and expertise on the part of DSS investigators.