Since 2011, there have been over 11,000 children in the Oregon foster care system each year. These children are vulnerable and are often the victims of child abuse and neglect. (SOS Audit Pg. 3)

In 2016, news broke that lawyers for two children in DHS’ care had filed a federal class action lawsuit alleging that DHS’ increasing practice of housing children in hotels and offices violated state and federal laws. DHS management has acknowledged the ongoing and increasing shortage of placements, including available foster homes, that contribute to these practices. (SOS Audit Pg. 7)

Since 2006, DHS has paid out $39 million in legal settlements due to the agency’s inability to consitently keep children in their care safe from abuse and neglect. (SOS Audit Pg. 13)

DHS management has not prioritized foster care recruitment and retention, which has contributed to a steep decline in career foster homes that serve the majority of Oregon’s foster children. (SOS Audit Pg. 24)

In 2016, about 9 of every 1,000 children in Oregon were in foster care, nearly double the national average of 5 out of 1,000. The number of Oregon children in foster care has declined by 14 percent since 2011, but the total number of available foster homes has also declined by 15 percent since that time. (SOS Audit Pg. 25)

The lack of appropriate foster placements allows children to fall through the cracks in the system, moving repeatedly from placement to placement. One child we talked with had been moved close to 20 times, and one caseworker shared an instance of a child who had been moved over 50 times since entering the foster system. Each move from a placement causes damage to a child’s wellbeing. (SOS Audit Pg. 28)