Articles labeled: foster care

Sheesh, it seems we read a story like this every week. Lock your doors, people!

A 2-year-old Arlington girl and two of her siblings have been placed in temporary foster care after the toddler was found Monday night wandering in the street several blocks from her home.

The toddler wandered away from her family’s home at about 7:20 p.m. Monday. Her parents said they thought she was sleeping.

The child’s grandfather saw her photo on the news Tuesday morning after police asked for help in locating her family and that was when her parents realized that she had been missing for nearly ten hours.

A judge is cracking down on Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, giving them one month to comply with a class action lawsuit settlement from 4 years ago.

Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Charles R. Snyder said the state has made plenty of promises to closely monitor the health and well-being of children in its care, but has failed to keep those promises.

“I’m not asking,” he said. “I’m ordering.”

The ruling, unexpected after Monday’s lengthy hearing, requires the state to find ways to make monthly visits to foster children, to get them prompt health screenings, to ensure that they see their siblings regularly and to keep caseloads at a level where this is possible.