Report: Missouri falling short on protecting foster children from going missing – By Kurt Erickson (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) / Sept 30 2021
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s child welfare agency does not make enough of an effort to reduce the risk of foster children going missing, a new report by federal regulators found.
The report, issued Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, says Missouri does not have policies for identifying children who may be at heightened risk of running away or plans in place to reduce their risk.
In 59 cases reviewed by the office, Missouri “rarely demonstrated attempts to reduce children’s risk of going missing,” the report noted.
And, during the times in which the children were missing from care, Missouri frequently failed to comply with requirements that could have aided in locating them.
