Officials Decry Foster Network Lapses

Foster care advocates and elected officials expressed outrage over allegations that Hyattsville-based Contemporary Family Services, Maryland's second-largest foster care network, engaged in sloppy administrative practices which state officials say could have put fostered children at risk.

"These are children who, through no fault of their own, are involved in a complex legal system. We really want to take whatever steps we can to provide rights that every child is entitled to, specifically to grow up in a safe home" - Ed Kilcullen, director of Maryland's Court Appointed Special Advocates, to The Baltimore Sun

Letters obtained by The Baltimore Sun, which first broke the story on Tuesday evening, detail the state's investigation into the operations of Contemporary Family Services, which is based out of University Town Center. The state Department of Human Resources, whose inspector general's office is investigating the company, noted audit discrepancies which allege that executives paid for personal expenses with company money. The company also owes about 10 years of back taxes to the IRS amounting to $2.8 million.

CEO of Contemporary Family Services Corey Pierce defended the reputation of his company, which has 157 children currently placed in its network of homes, to The Baltimore Sun.

"We have done an excellent job caring for over 700 children over the course of the last 10 years, we have never been sanctioned prior to this." - Pierce to The Baltimore Sun

The revelations come on the heels of the death of a child, born to a teenage mother, living in a Contemporary Family Service's home in Glen Burnie last week, however DHR spokesperson Ian Hines said that his agency had been investigating the company long before that. The death is also being investigated by DHR. Anne Arundel Count Police told The Baltimore Sun that the death did not appear to be suspicious, however it remains under investigation pending the final results of an autopsy. John Monroe, executive director of Contemporary Family Services, told the paper that the child had a serious asthma attack and had a history of heart problems.

The company is facing a 60 day suspension during which time the state will not place foster children in homes through the company. Company officials say that they plan to quickly file a corrective plan with the state. They blame the administrative errors on the work of former employees.