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Image: Screenshot of the cover page of the September 2025 audit report, “Department of Human Services Social Services Administration” from the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits; courtesy of The Baltimore Banner.
A new audit reveals that Maryland’s Department of Human Services (DHS) allowed foster children to live in homes where registered sexual offenders were present, exposing deep systemic failures in the state’s child welfare system, The Baltimore Banner reported yesterday.
The audit, released Wednesday by the Office of Legislative Audits, detailed significant lapses in oversight and safety protocols, including instances where foster children were housed with known sexual offenders and left without essential medical or dental care. Other findings highlighted children living in hotel rooms for months or years due to a lack of proper placements.
Foster Children Placed in Homes with Sexual Offenders
Auditors found at least seven registered sexual offenders living at the same addresses as guardianship homes approved for foster children. In one of the most alarming cases, an individual previously convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor resided in a home with four children aged 4 to 8.
In another incident, a group home employee on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry was reportedly involved in transporting three foster children for an “inappropriate activity.” An investigation revealed evidence of abuse.
According to the audit, these failures were the result of the agency’s lack of effective procedures to prevent people with criminal backgrounds from gaining access to children in foster care. DHS also failed to follow up on household changes after initial home approvals, such as checking if new adults had moved in.
Criminal Background Lapses and Risk to Children
The audit found the state lacked systems to ensure background checks for vendors offering one-on-one services to foster children temporarily housed in hotels. One such contractor employee, who had been convicted of murder in 1990, should have been disqualified from working with children. DHS confirmed this person no longer works with that contractor.
Widespread Neglect of Medical and Dental Care
State regulations mandate that children in foster care receive a health exam within 60 days of placement and annual medical and dental checkups thereafter. Yet, as of May 2024, 540 children had not had a medical exam in the past year, and 110 of them had not had one in multiple years. Additionally, 1,635 children had missed dental exams in the prior six months, with 140 never having had one at all.
Hundreds of Children Housed in Hotels
From 2023 through 2024, a total of 280 children were placed in hotels due to a shortage of placements in family or group homes. Eighty-two of these children remained in hotels for periods ranging from three months to two years. The cost to the state for these hotel stays and associated one-on-one services reached $10.4 million.
DHS Secretary Rafael López acknowledged the issue at a Board of Public Works meeting, stating, “We have focused like a laser on hospitals and hotels, which have been a challenge for Maryland for many decades.”
Systemic Oversight and Financial Mismanagement
Auditors also cited failures in DHS’s oversight of county-level offices and financial mismanagement. These included issues in setting up trust accounts for children’s benefits and poor systems for preventing or recovering overpayments to care providers.
The federal government fined Maryland $700,000 in 2024 for failing to meet key foster care performance benchmarks, including child safety and educational outcomes.
Public and Legislative Outrage
A plaintiff’s attorney called the revelations appalling and unacceptable. Del. April Rose of Frederick and Carroll counties described the findings as “disgusting, infuriating, and heartbreaking,” stressing that the state had failed in its most basic duty to protect vulnerable children. Del. Wayne Hartman added there was “no excuse for this level of complete negligence.”
Aubrey Edwards-Luce, director at the University of Baltimore’s Center for Families, Children and the Courts, said the system is causing further trauma to children. “It’s especially atrocious when children are removed from places where their needs are not being met and are moved into new situations where new harms and new deprivations are occurring,” she said.
Response from DHS and Lawmakers
In the audit response, Secretary López stated, “The safety and well-being of Maryland’s children are our highest priority.” His department outlined a series of improvements underway to address the issues.
David Turner, senior adviser and communications director for Governor Wes Moore, said López has made “important and critical strides” but admitted the audit shows “how much more work there is to do.”
Del. Jared Solomon, a Democratic co-chair of the General Assembly committee reviewing the audit, said he is “deeply concerned” and that hearings will be scheduled this fall to get answers and collaborate on solutions.
If you or someone you love suffered sexual abuse while in foster care or another institutional setting, you are not alone. You may be eligible to pursue justice and compensation. Learn your legal rights by visiting our Institutional Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Guide. You may also receive a free case review by filling out the form below.
