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DALLAS (AP) — Advocates say the child-protection system in Texas should be revamped to better monitor adoptions and prevent a reoccurrence of the seven special-needs children found near Houston isolated and living in filthy conditions.
Ruthanne Mefford, chief executive of Child Advocates of Fort Bend, says a statewide program may be needed to ensure children's safety even after an adoption is formalized.
The teenagers discovered in the home were adopted in 2003 and 2004. State officials say a caseworker doesn't conduct a welfare check after an adoption is completed unless there's a complaint.
The adoptive mother of the teens and a man documents show is her husband have been charged.
Authorities have acknowledged the troubled, understaffed Child Protective Services' agency is in need of a broader overhaul.
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