States fail to track abuses in foster care facilities housing thousands of children, US says

Many states are failing to track how frequently children in foster care facilities are abused, sexually assaulted or improperly restrained, leaving them vulnerable to mistreatment, the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General said in a report Wednesday, June 26.

The report comes after a Senate committee investigation found that children in foster care are subjected to abuse in foster facilities around the country. The facilities are run by large, for-profit companies and financed by taxpayers.

According to the latest federal report there are almost 50,000 children in the foster facilities.