The Official Injury Attorneys of the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco Foster Home Abuse Lawyer
On an average year, San Francisco has over 500 foster kids in the city. In 2022, the city placed 65 percent of its foster children elsewhere, which is nearly double the state average of 33 percent that same year. Even so, kids in the foster system have been removed from the home they likely once shared with their parents.
As such, foster kids are often overlooked, and an easy target for abuse. While no one wants to think about it, sexual abuse is the most common type suffered by foster kids. Our San Francisco foster home abuse lawyer is committed to holding abusers, and the system that oversees them, responsible.
Foster Kids Often Do Not Feel Safe
It is not unusual for foster abuse and sexual assault to not be reported. Children are even less likely to report abuse because they may have been threatened and believe that they or their family will experience greater harm. Foster kids are, sadly, even less likely to report abuse.
Foster kids, whether they live in a relative’s home or somewhere else, face unique challenges. It is not uncommon for them to be moved around to different residences. This makes it difficult for them to form long-term, close relationships with other children or older individuals, including their foster parents. This can lead them to think there is no one to tell.
Additionally, children are usually removed from a home after reporting abuse. This can lead them to further blame themselves for tearing their family apart. They may believe that they deserve any future abuse they endure. Of course, no one deserves to be the victim of abuse.
The State is Failing Foster Kids
The sad truth is that Child Protective Services (CPS) in California is not equipped to handle the number of foster kids in the system. In 2017, more than 400,000 cases of abuse or maltreatment were reported to the CPS, but only approximately 365,000 of these were investigated or had alternative responses. Even when an investigation was complete, 78 out of every 100 were not investigated in a timely manner.
The simple truth is that CPS does not have enough staff members to adequately handle all reports of abuse and mistreatment. Due to this, many children continue to experience abuse, even though they have reported it. Understaffing and overworked employees are no excuse to allow abuse to continue. No matter where it occurs, abuse and neglect are unacceptable and foster kids in San Francisco, and throughout the state, deserve better.
Our Foster Home Abuse Lawyer in San Francisco Can Help You Make Things Right
If you or someone you know has suffered abuse while in the foster system, we can help you make things right. At Venardi Zurada, our San Francisco foster home abuse lawyer is committed to holding foster parents and the government entities that oversee them accountable for any harm suffered by one of society’s most vulnerable societies. If you need legal help, call us now at (833) 893-6763 or contact us online to schedule a consultation and to learn more about how we can help.
