State Suspends Daystar Placements
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has suspended all new placements of foster children at the Daystar Residential Treatment Center outside of Houston, following a Texas Tribune/Houston Chronicle investigation that revealed workers forced young girls to fight each other in return for snacks.
In a letter sent to the facility's executive director on Friday, the agency said it was placing "service monitors" at the facility as soon as possible to "ensure the health, safety and welfare of children placed in Daystar Residential."
"This suspension is based on the serious concerns of DFPS after considering recent Residential ...
Comments (3)
Evelyn White via Texas Tribune on Facebook
About time!
Jill Streit Dermer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
yeah!!
Richard Wexler via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The abuses exposed in these stories are just like the ones in former Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn’s report in 2004, which were just like the ones in the Dallas Morning News series in 2003.
So now, all the kids will be moved to another lousy RTC - until next year’s expose.
The Chronicle will probably pick up an award or two and the Tribune probably will use the stories in a pitch for donations – but nothing will change for the kids.
Nothing will change as long as residential treatment is a “seller’s market.” With the number of children taken from their homes needlessly in Texas escalating again, DFPS is begging for beds, and beggars can’t be choosers.
Wrongful removal is the elephant in the room. As long as Langford and Ramshaw keep pretending the elephant isn’t there, and give us nothing but this kind of whack-a-mole journalism, as the problem moves from one institution to another, the children will continue to suffer.
Richard Wexler
Executive Director
National Coalition for Child Protection Reform
www.nccpr.org