They were shuffled from foster home to foster home, physically abused and emotionally scarred.
On Thursday, they spoke out on behalf of Oregon’s 4,500 children in the state’s foster care system in a federal courtroom in Eugene. The four-hour hearing represented the final step in settling a five-year class action lawsuit that advocacy groups for children brought against the Oregon Department of Human Services, which runs the state’s foster care system. Called a fairness hearing, the event gave current and former foster children an opportunity to testify about the proposed settlement.
After their testimony, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken approved the settlement agreement, which requires the state agency to work with Disability Rights Oregon and A Better Childhood, a national nonprofit advocacy group, on improving the beleaguered system, which has faced widespread criticism and scrutiny for moving vulnerable children to questionable out-of-state facilities, shuffling them to hotels and hiring outside contractors like Dynamic Life without adequate vetting.