By Michael Fitzgerald, Illustration: Christine Ongjoco, The Imprint, March 17, 2022
In a wood- and marble-paneled Washington, D.C., hearing room last month, President Joe Biden’s nominee for a top child welfare post delivered a stunning number to United States senators: Despite all the devastation families experienced following the emergence of COVID-19, there were roughly 1,000 fewer children in the Oregon foster care system when compared with two years prior.
Rebecca Jones Gaston cited “a strategic plan focused on well-being and prevention that has already yielded results.”
The senators presiding over the hearing did not ask follow-up questions about the four-figure drop. But recent federal data confirms that Oregon was not alone — and the contributing factors were myriad and unforeseen.
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