Study finds kids abused in DHS custody

Adam Mertz Reporting
KFOR
February 18, 2011

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A study commissioned by the watchdog group, Children's Rights, details some disturbing trends at the Department of Human Services.

"This report confirms absolutely that the DHS system is severely broken," said Paul DeMuro, Children's Rights attorney.

Children's Rights hired an independent group, the Center for the Support of Families, to put together the study.

It tracked 374 children of the more than 7,400 in state custody.

According to the findings, 12 percent of the children suffered confirmed abuse or neglect while in state custody.

The study also points out that some kids are shuffled back and forth to different foster homes.

According to DHS, the study is flawed and officials questions how the research was conducted.

"It does not come to the same conclusion that our own federal review of the information shows," Sheree Powell with DHS, said.

According to DHS, each year a review is conducted by the federal government.

In that report, DHS claims its safety rating is 99.8 percent, that's higher than the national average.

Powell says the agency is currently locked in a class action lawsuit with Children's Rights. FULL STORY and Video

I left a nice comment there-

RE: "DHS claims its safety rating is 99.8 percent, that's higher than the national average."

Wow. I guess 99.8 percent is higher than the national average-

"There are more than half a million children and youth in the U.S. foster care system today. Studies reveal that children are 11 times more likely to be abused in state care than they are in their own homes, and 7 times more likely to die as a result of abuse in the foster care system." -John Walsh Show April 16, 2003

"As many as 75 percent of all children in foster care, upon leaving the system, will have experienced sexual abuse. One study by Johns Hopkins University found that the rate of sexual abuse within the foster-care system is more than four times as high as in the general population; in group homes, the rate of sexual abuse is more than 28 times that of the general population." -Sexual Abuse: An Epidemic in Foster Care Settings? By Orlow, Orlow & Orlow July 17, 2009

Gee I would hate to have Powell's job trying to spin the truth 180 degrees.

UPDATE-

High abuse rates reported in study of Oklahoma foster care system
A new study of 374 Oklahoma foster care cases found nearly one in eight children suffered confirmed instances of abuse or neglect while in state DHS custody.
BY RANDY ELLIS
Published: February 18, 2011
NEWSOK