State given more time to improve foster care system

Possible takeover of Miss. foster care system delayed

Advocates for children agreed to give Mississippi more time to improve the state’s child welfare system under a deal presented Tuesday to a federal judge. In exchange, state officials agreed to try to reduce the number of children in state custody who are being cared for by unlicensed foster parents.

It’s the latest development in the long-running Olivia Y case, named for one of eight children who lawyers said had been abused because of the state’s failures. Despite a series of settlements that promised reforms, the state has repeatedly failed to meet its targets.

Clarion Ledger
5/10/16