State of Louisiana Child Ombudsman Reveals Crushing Data

“According to the report, the problems outlined describe systemic issues within DCFS.

Those issues included communication failures, placement barriers, noncompliance with policies, and children being held in psychiatric hospitals.

According to the report, there were 230 reports of unreturned calls, inadequate information, or misinformation in 2025 within DCFS.

There were also reports of multiple cases that showed delays in home studies, failures in family notification, and problems with placement requirements.

According to the report, children often remained separated from relatives for months or years.

The report also claims that DCFS failed to follow required investigative procedures. DCFS is also accused of having breaches of confidentiality, improper denial of recording rights, untimely forensic interviews, and lengthy delays in case determinations.

A concerning allegation outlined in the report claims that DCFS placed children, primarily in the foster care system, in psychiatric hospitals for extended periods of time due to a lack of safe placements.

According to the report, there were 24 complaints of children being held in a psychiatric hospital despite being cleared for discharge.

The report said:

“These children no longer meet medical necessity criteria for inpatient care, yet remain hospitalized due to the absence of safe, appropriate discharge options, resulting in unnecessary institutionalization. This practice is costly, exposes children to potential harm from prolonged hospital stays, and restricts access to inpatient beds for other youth in acute psychiatric crisis. Moreover, it undermines federal and state legal principles favoring care in the least restrictive, most family-like setting.”

According to the report, of the 24 complaints received in 2025, there were 16 foster children placed in a psychiatric hospital, and at discharge, DCFS did not place the child in either a home setting or a “step down” facility in a timely manner.

The length of time these foster children remained in the hospital after discharge was months in some cases, according to the report.

The other 8 complaints regarding children left in the hospital were children originally hospitalized by parents or guardians and then abandoned.

When DCFS was notified that the child had been abandoned, it sometimes took months for the Department to seek a custody order to place the child in an appropriate placement, according to the report.

The report said it is critical that DCFS addresses this issue to ensure appropriate care for children.

The report also provided data on child fatalities for 2025. This was information WDSU requested from DCFS in November 2025, but did not fully receive.

According to the report, there were 25 fatalities reported in 2025. Of those, 20 were the result of abuse and neglect.

The fatalities happened across 16 different parishes statewide.”

“Rebecca Harris, the DCFS Secretary, and other lawmakers spoke on the report and issues within DCFS in a legislative hearing on Monday.

That hearing can be viewed here for part one, and here for part two.

Read the full report here.”

Louisiana DCFS concerns: Report reveals new fatality data, foster care children held in hospitals
[WDSU 4/28/26 by Erin Lowrey and Aubry Killion]

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