The state Social Services Administration may have approved guardianship homes for children who are in state care where registered sex offenders lived, and failed to identify a convicted sex offender who worked in a group foster home and later faced criminal charges involving children under his care.
Those are just some of the findings of a 70-page audit released Wednesday by the Office of Legislative Audits that includes a slate of concerning findings dating back to 2008 and new findings that include nearly $700,000 in penalties for failing to meet federal foster care service requirements.
Legislative Auditor Brian Tanen, in a letter with the audit, said the administration “did not have comprehensive procedures to ensure individuals with disqualifying criminal backgrounds did not have access to children in the State’s care.”
The letter also noted that the administration “was not aware of the 7 registered sex offenders we identified that had the same address as an approved guardianship home housing 10 children as of August 2024 and had not identified that an individual employed by a group foster care home had been convicted of sexual assault of a minor. This individual was subsequently charged with crimes involving children under his care.”..
