After Hours: Fostering Chaos is a multi-part, on-going KING 5 investigation into the mistreatment of Washington state's "hard to place" foster youth.
Part 1
May 20, 2021: A four-month KING 5 investigation found a years-long pattern of Washington child protection workers dangling basic necessities like a safe, warm place to sleep as a way to get certain “hard to place” foster children to behave or follow orders.
Read and watch the full story.
Part 2
July 13, 2021: Interviews with DCYF employees and a review of law enforcement records reveal a chaotic and unstable environment for the social workers who work the night shift.
Read and watch the full story.
Follow Up Stories
June 8, 2021: The state watchdog’s probe comes in response to a KING 5 investigation, which uncovered a years-long pattern of Washington child protection workers dangling basic necessities, like a safe, warm place to sleep, as a way to get challenging foster youth to behave or follow orders.
June 21, 2021: The Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has agreed to put an end to its years-long practice of placing foster youth overnight in hotels and state offices, according to federal court documents filed on Friday.
July 15, 2021: DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter faced nearly two hours of questioning from members of an oversight group Thursday in direct response to multiple KING 5 investigations.
Sept 2, 2021: Washington state’s foster care agency introduced a six-page plan to carry out a federal court order to stop placing foster children in hotels and state offices.
Oct. 6, 2021: The leader of Washington state’s child welfare agency faces mounting criticism over his agency's response to issues raised in a KING 5 investigation about the punishment of foster youth.
Oct. 17, 2021: Ahead of a looming deadline to stop housing Washington foster children in hotels, advocates have doubts about the state's plan to make it happen.
Oct. 21, 2021: As DCYF leaders scramble to meet a federal court deadline barring hotel stays for foster youth, they're trying a forceful new tactic to comply with the order.
Dec. 13, 2021: A Washington Office of Family and Children's Ombuds’ probe, launched in response to a KING 5 investigation, confirmed reporters’ findings that some foster youth spent most of the night in state vehicles, and child protection workers occasionally used coercive measures to convince the children to accept group home and foster home placements.
Contact the reporters
Taylor Mirfendereski is a KING 5 investigative reporter, who specializes in multimedia storytelling, longform reporting and digital projects. Follow her on twitter at @taylormirf. E-mail her at tmirfendereski@king5.com or contact her via Signal at 206-348-4106.
Chris Ingalls is a KING 5 investigative reporter. Follow him on twitter @CJIngalls. E-mail him at cingalls@king5.com or contact him via Signal at 971-267-5320.
