By Steven Allen Adams, For The Intelligencer of Wheeling
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources filed a motion Tuesday in federal court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the agency of mishandling the state’s exploding foster care population.
DHHR filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia to dismiss a class action lawsuit brought by the Shaffer and Shaffer law firm in Charleston, Disability Rights of West Virginia, and A Better Childhood, a national foster child advocacy organization.
The suit, filed Sept. 30 on behalf of 12 foster children ranging from ages 2-17, alleges that these children are often housed either in hotels, shelters, institutions, or out-of-state and are subject to abuse and neglect.
“We will not be distracted by this lawsuit,” said DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch. “Substantive changes have been made, and are continuing to be made, to the state’s child welfare system with the help of the West Virginia Legislature and many experts in the field. We continue to move forward with critical initiatives to improve family stability and ensure the well-being of the children of our state.” …