Why Should Delaware Care?
Delaware’s foster children are among some of the most vulnerable in the state. A new report from the state auditor said a lack of services has led some children within the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families (DSCYF) to sleep in government offices.
Delaware’s Auditor of Accounts Lydia York released a report last week that says some children in the state’s foster system have had to sleep in bureaucratic offices due to a shortage of in-state foster placements.
In her report, she said the use of offices for overnight stays combined with the cost of sending Delaware children in the foster system out of state for care has cost the state close to $13 million since the 2023 fiscal year.
York’s report stems from allegations her department received about the situation in late 2024.
The use of out-of-state services alone has cost the state more than $8 million since 2023, according to the report. Still, York’s office also did an analysis of other states around the country with available data on their placements, and found Delaware’s struggles are not “uncommon nor unique.”
“Make no mistake – this is a nationwide issue, and not one that any state has resolved entirely,” York wrote. “However, I believe that this is an opportunity for Delaware to lead.”
In her office’s report, she recommended the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families (DSCYF) strengthen its oversight of costly out-of-state placements, document and monitor the amount of times children sleep in offices, as well as utilize already existing space for short-term stays.
York pointed to a statewide shortage of options for children, as well as a dearth of foster families able to take children in as part of why some children end up sleeping in the offices. The report also called on DSCYF and state legislators to “to build a holistic system” that supports the small, but vulnerable population.
The report said out-of-state placements would not stop entirely, as services in Delaware may not always be able to accommodate every child’s needs.
Sarah Azevedo, the director of the Division of Family Services for DSCYF, said work is already being done to improve placements for children and offer safer temporary housing. She added children would sleep in the agency’s offices “under very limited circumstances.”
Azevedo also said solutions take “a lot of time to mobilize,” and the agency has been working for years to address the in-state shortfalls. She also requested community support in looking for solutions to improve services in the state, and said the agency was looking to rethink how it offers foster care to entice more families.
Azevedo said the cost is important to the department and its goal is to keep kids in state, but if it’s in a child’s best interest to go out of state, the department will send them.
“At the end of the day, the kids need what they need, and so we’re not going to make a decision based purely on financial reasons,” she said.
Along with the $8 million spent on out-of-state placements, staffing the overtime shifts needed to to watch children who slept in state offices has cost the state $4.5 million since 2023, the report said.
The report also points to multiple concerns within the government buildings, which were not designed to house children for overnight stays and lack security staff and metal detectors.
The offices also lack showers and access to nutritional meals, meaning children will often have to leave, something the report said poses a safety risk.
Additionally, the report warns of safety concerns not only for the children, but staff members as well, who told York’s office they feared for their safety at times.
“[Division of Family Services] staff interviewed by AOA expressed significant concerns regarding their personal safety,” the report said. “These staff noted past altercations between employees and youths staying in-office resulting in police contact and medical care needed for DFS staff.”
In a response letter to York’s office, DSCYF said it had relocated some children across the state to repurposed residential facilities.
Leaders at DSCYF also pointed to a recent $6 million appropriation the agency had received to renovate a space at the Stockley Center in Georgetown for children who may not meet the clinical requirements to be put into specific residential treatment facilities.
Azevedo said in an interview on Friday this new facility would help to better serve those children who fall under that gray zone, and would build up the state’s ability to prevent some out-of-state placements.
According to the report, though, that renovated space is not scheduled to be complete until July 2027 and would offer 12 beds.
Azevedo also said the state has put out bids for private vendors to operate more youth facilities in Delaware, however, the agency struggles to attract vendors. Part of the reason, she said, is it is difficult for those providers to find insurance for their programs.
Still, she said the state will continue its pursuit of bringing services to Delaware.
“We haven’t given up the fight and the effort to try to bring some service providers into Delaware who can provide these services to our kids,” Azevedo said.
