Lawmakers introduce bills to improve Maryland foster care system after teen girl's death
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland lawmakers are pushing for major changes to the state’s foster care system after a teen’s death exposed serious failures.
It comes after a horrific tragedy where a 16-year-old girl, Kanaiyah Ward, took her own life while in state custody.
Improving the system:
An audit that was done just last year revealed a series of failures inside Maryland’s foster care system, including cases where children were being placed in hotels, homeless shelters and homes with serious safety concerns.
Now, two major efforts are moving forward in Annapolis.
The first is "Kanaiyah’s Law" sponsored by Delegate Mike Griffith, who represents District 35A.
The full name of the bill — HB0980 —is Family Law and State Government - Child Protection and the Office of the Child Welfare Ombudsman.
It would ban placing children in unlicensed settings like hotels, would require background checks for caregivers and create an independent Ombudsman to investigate complaints.
FOX 5 spoke with Griffith, who grew up in foster care himself, and is now leading this push for change.
"The worst part of the foster care system was my foster care parents, how I was treated by my social workers. And the system really makes you feel like a second-class citizen," said Delegate Mike Griffith, who represents District 35A. "We want to make sure there's proper advocacy within the system, so ‘Kanayah's Law’ creates an Ombudsman position, which makes sure they aren’t being placed in homes with sexual offenders."
The Kanaiyah Ward bill has bipartisan support and just cleared the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Dig deeper:
Additionally, House leadership, including Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, is advancing a broader package focused on oversight and accountability, including possible budget penalties if the system doesn’t improve.
Ward’s tragic death has fast-tracked these efforts, shining a light on the deep systemic issues many of the 3700 foster kids in Maryland sadly face.
"Regardless of policy, I don't think anyone should have ever been placed in a homeless shelter, should never have been placed in a hotel with little supervision," Griffith said. "This is the most robust foster care reform in state history. People don't want this to happen again."
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says the state is also making foster care system changes, ending the use of hotels, creating statewide standards for one-on-one care providers, requiring more training, and expanding placement capacity, meaning hundreds more beds and more treatment foster care placements.
The package of bills is expected to hit the House floor by the weekend, and if passed, implementation could start as early as October.