TEXAS – Community advocates are sounding the alarm on behalf of hundreds of Texas children who say they have experienced inhumane conditions after being placed in the state’s foster care system.
Some of the children have even said that since speaking out about the treatment, they feel as if they have been retaliated against by the people put in place to protect them.
Activist Candice Matthews shared videos of the children’s living conditions with KPRC 2.
In the video, you can see what appears to be a dark hotel room with unclean linens scattered around.
After receiving the video, KPRC 2′s Moriah Ballard spoke with Matthews and another teenager who has been directly impacted by the lack of proper care while in CPS.
The young man said there were weeks when he has gone without food, despite two social workers at the same hotel as him.
“We don’t even go out,” the teenager said. “They expect us to be in our room 24/7, without doing anything. I don’t think that’s healthy for nobody.”
The 17-year-old added that most days, it’s hard for them to find food or they’re left to figure out what to eat on their own.
“We used to have no food, just last week,” he said. “Sometimes it takes a week for them to bring groceries. So, you have to figure out how to eat yourself sometimes.”
Just last week, the unnamed teenager took to social media to say that since he chose to speak out about the conditions, he feels that he has been retaliated against by CPS. He claims they are trying to put him in an unsuitable placement in Houston.
@matthewscandice Texas CPS IS NOW RETALIATING AGAINST THIS CHILD WHO IS A WHISTLEBLOWER… COMPLETE VIOLATION OF CHILD RIGHTS 🔨🔨🔨 #fyp #explore #drcandicematthews #boosted #NOTALK🔨 #fypシ #foryou #fypシ゚viralシ @DrCandiceMatthews
♬ original sound - Matthews Candice
KPRC 2 decided to blur his face and not name him for these reasons.
The teenager said he has been in Texas’s CWOP program for a year.
According to Google, CWOP stands for Children Without Placement, which is a designation for children in the foster care system in Texas. “CWOP children are considered some of the most vulnerable and challenging cases and may be older, have experienced serious trauma, or have many needs. Some reasons a child may be in CWOP include being removed from a home, another placement didn’t work out, or parent rights have been terminated.”
Matthews says the problem is bigger than just incompetent CPS employees. The real battle, she says, is happening in our state’s capital with lawmakers.
“Texas has 254 counties,” she said. “I’m getting calls from children across Texas, telling me that they’re hungry. Telling me that it’s no food in the refrigerator. Telling me that they’re sleeping on the floor. Telling me that it’s no supervisor, and how the human traffickers are coming into the hotels that they’re staying in.”
She added that she was made aware of a horrific situation that took place for a 13-year-old child who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a registered sex offender while in CWOP in February.
“There’s no way in Hell that those children are supposed to be subject to that,” she said. “Those are inhumane conditions. Those children are living worse than those apartments I go expose.”
When asked what the community can do to help these children, Matthews gave a few options.
She says one, you can help by donating to help get homes in place for children at Children-Of-Diversity.org. Two, you can contact congressional and state legislatures in your area.
“These kids did not ask to be in that system. We are supposed to help them, to protect them, and that’s not what’s happening.”
KPRC 2 received the following statement from Melissa Lanford, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Family and Parent Services:
“The story seems to be based on videos from a CWOP location in Austin two weeks ago. What those videos show are the typical living quarters of busy children and youth and their CPS caseworkers. Multiple caseworkers and DFPS employees are assigned to each CWOP location, with groceries, snacks, and meals provided each day by CPS. Each hotel with CWOP youth has multiple refrigerators. All are checked for food and cleanliness by CPS staff and can be checked by hotel staff.
(In one of the TikTok videos, a caseworker is heard commenting on a pending HEB grocery delivery).
CWOP continues to be a top priority for DFPS, and our non-stop, 24/7 efforts are paying off: In March 2021, the total number of youth in CWOP statewide was 271. The most recent statewide count yesterday found only 16 CWOP youth statewide, with only four in Harris County.”