Many aggrieved individuals are claiming its time for reform after a deadly occurrence at a foster care facility in Greenville exposed decades of problematic practices in Texas’ long-term foster care system.
O.R., An 11-year-old child who was only identified by his initials, sadly passed away on November 27, 2023, while attending a movie screening hosted by Thompson’s Residential Treatment Center in Greenville, Texas. O.R. was made to attend the exhibition despite sobbing and complaining of stomach ache. Security camera footage later showed that he had trouble standing and seemed noticeably shaky. In the end, the child was abandoned, dressed in filthy clothes, and died during the screening. Since then, state authorities have connected his passing to more general problems with abuse and neglect at the facility.
Licensed in 2010 and operating for more than ten years, Thompson’s Residential Treatment Center has a very problematic past, the foster home is held with serious accusations, such as:
- Formally recognized “fight clubs”: According to investigators, in 2011, the facility’s staff organized fights amongst kids under the names “Tap Out” and “Choke Out,” in which they not only refereed but occasionally took part in the altercations.
- Sexual misconduct and inappropriate restraints: Children were frequently placed in hazardous postures, and some boys were reportedly tackled by staff members. Unsettling claims surfaced that kids had “exposed inappropriate sexual behavior” amongst themselves in precarious situations.
- Repeated flaws: State investigators found 51 flaws over a 15-month period ending in July 2024, ranging from inadequate personnel to unsanitary facilities, incorrect medicine administration, and faulty treatment plans.
Two separate investigations in 2023 substantiated findings of physical abuse, yet remedial “plans of action” remained incomplete.
According to the report, which was released by court monitors as part of a 14-year federal case concerning foster care in Texas, some of the most vulnerable children in the state are subjected to systemic abuse and neglect.
The death of O.R. is not a singular tragedy. With 65 confirmed deaths in long-term placements since mid-2019, 16 foster care children have passed away while in state custody in the previous 15 months alone. These deaths have a variety of reasons, including abuse and neglect as well as medical issues in children who are already vulnerable. The disclosures have prompted calls for immediate reform in Texas’s foster child care system both statewide and nationally, even though investigations are still ongoing in a number of cases, including O.R.’s.
The appeal finding in the ongoing litigation has been defended by Governor Greg Abbott’s office. According to press secretary Andrew Mahaleris, the decision “was the right decision for the children and the families of Texas.” However, reformers contend that these actions just touch the surface of a seriously defective system.
The foster care system in Texas has been run for many years using procedures and regulations that have failed to keep kids safe. Beyond closing troublesome facilities, advocates emphasize that comprehensive reforms are required to:
- Enhance Staff Training and Supervision whose task is to make sure that caregivers receive adequate training in child safety and de-escalation techniques.
- Strengthening inspection procedures and holding facilities responsible for ongoing flaws will improve regulatory oversight.
- Put Child Safety First Despite Bureaucratic Inertia, reorganizing the system of long-term foster care to stop more tragedies and guarantee that kids are placed in safe settings.
