News Report | February 3, 2021
Lawsuit Challenges New Hampshire Reliance On Congregate Care Placements For Older Youth In Foster Care
On January 5, 2021, the New Hampshire Disability Rights Center and other advocacy groups sued the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in federal court over its treatment of older foster youth with mental health impairments. A key complaint is that the DHHS Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) places older foster youth in congregate care placements at twice the national rate. The youth are seldom placed in community family settings. The lawsuit alleges that, in 2019, about 70.3% of foster youth age 14 to 17 were housed in congregate care facilities, more than double the . . .