by Tara Hug, Program Intern
Nearly 400,000 youth are involved in the child welfare system in the United States of America. 27% of these youth face some form of sexual abuse during their lifetime (Kirkner, 2024). In 2021, over 3,600 children were in Maryland’s foster care system (HHS, 2022). The purpose of the foster care system is to provide temporary, nurturing housing to youth who have suffered abuse or neglect by their parents or guardians, often through placement in private, group, or treatment homes. However, the power dynamics that emerge between welfare staff, foster parents, foster siblings, group-home members, and children within the welfare system can leave foster youth vulnerable to sexual assault.
Youth in foster care are more susceptible to sexual violence than their counterparts in the general population due to unstable housing and placement changes, limited social support, and prior trauma (Hessing, 2022). Many youth also experience sexual abuse before entering the foster care system (Font, 2020). Therefore, implementing additional welfare protocols, such as selecting, training, and monitoring households, providing more trauma-informed training for staff, and educating youth, is essential to uplifting foster youth rather than subjecting them to further trauma (Font, 2020).
The most effective measure to prevent sexual abuse in foster care is to reduce the possibility of abuse in the first place. This means assigning individuals to homes that will reliably protect children. According to a study of 184 former youth in California’s foster care system who left their foster homes due to abuse, 32% reported physical and sexual abuse by their foster parent and 36% by their foster sibling (Yoshioka-Maxwell, 2022). It is difficult to identify data specific to sexual abuse by foster families in Maryland, as research on minors generally requires parental consent, and foster care youth are unlikely to have a guardian willing to grant permission (Kirkner, 2024). Regardless, current foster children and those previously in the welfare system describe instances of sexual contact through both personal stories, realizations of past abuse, and ongoing lawsuits against the state in which the abuse occurred (Miller, 2025).
Sexual abuse can occur as a result of loopholes in the screening processes and poor monitoring of households (Font, 2020). The Maryland foster care application process generally contains 27 hours of parent resources training along with CPR and First Aid certifications, identity verification for adults and frequent visitors in the household, financial stability and reference assessments, report card reviews for children in the home, background clearances, medical examinations, family interviews, back-up provider identification, and residence assessments (BCDSS, 2022). During the background checks, individuals with felony convictions of child abuse or neglect, domestic violence, crimes against children, child pornography, crimes of violence (a defined term), and human trafficking are disqualified. Depending on the circumstances, individuals who have physical assault, battery, and drug-related offenses 5 or more years before submitting the foster care application may still be eligible to serve as foster parents. Despite the requirement for screening of frequent visitors and individuals who reside in the house for two or more days, foster youth may be placed in homes with adults who are not identified (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2018). If frequent visitors are not identified, this lack of oversight can expose children to other individuals with potentially dangerous histories.
Foster care social workers and case managers must also learn to recognize signs of sexual abuse. This occurs through regularly monitoring and evaluating foster homes and group homes. For example, taking note of the dynamics between members of the household and learning how trauma manifests into complex actions such as changes in the youths’ eating habits, aggression or isolation tendencies, occurrence of headaches or stomach pain, or frequency of inappropriate behavior (Kirkner, 2024). While these mechanisms are already in place within social work education systems, they can be expanded upon through the requirement of risk factor identification training within the social work license renewal process (State of Maryland, 2025). This will help foster care social workers review signs of mistreatment for future identification when visiting homes. Health professionals should also test children with symptoms of sexually transmitted infections, note if the results are positive, recognize excessive knowledge on sexual topics beyond their age, and identify any bruising or bleeding, especially around the genital region (Herman Law, 2024).
When considering addressing sexual abuse within the foster care system, foster youth generally experience fear of physical abuse, concern regarding a new placement, discomfort expressing vulnerability, or resentment toward a system that has not prevented or believed harm in their past (Kirkner, 2024). Therefore, it may be beneficial to place increased emphasis on the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, which enables foster youth to discuss their abuse anonymously and on their own time. When a foster child comes forward to a welfare staff member, the adult should listen, believe, and respect what the child is expressing and provide accessible resources for emotional and legal support. When intervening, welfare staff must use a trauma-informed approach to ensure they are not subjecting the child to additional stressors (NASW, n.d.).
It is also important for foster youth to understand bodily autonomy and boundaries. By establishing this form of education in the foster care system, youth will recognize the possible mistreatment that they may have experienced in the past, learn how to ask for and express consent, and understand the characteristics of a healthy relationship (Atreya, 2024). Currently, the foster care system places little emphasis on sexual and reproductive education, leaving children to rely on school systems and potentially themselves for awareness (Fitzgerald, 2023). Welfare system-led training and discussions would be especially important for foster care youth in romantic relationships. According to a national study conducted in 2020, 36% of foster youth who were in dating relationships experienced physical and sexual intimate partner violence, compared to 12% of youth who were not in foster care (Ball, 2023). Foster youth are also anticipated to experience intimate partner violence and sexual violence into their adulthood (Ball, 2023).
Ultimately, preventing sexual assault in the child welfare system will require stronger home screening, staff training, and intimacy education. Like all individuals, foster youth deserve to live in a safe and supportive environment, free of sexual violence.
References
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Atreya, P. (2024). "Teaching Children Consent Skills Through the Lens of Personal Boundaries and Bodily Autonomy." University of the Pacific. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from here.
Ball, B., Hoefer, S., Ding, X., Sevillano, L., & Faulkner, M. (2023). "Promoting Healthy Relationships in Foster Care – 'If I Had Seen What a Healthy Relationship Looks Like, That Would Have Changed My Perspective.'" Violence Against Women. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from here.
Baltimore City Department of Social Services (BCDSS). (2022). “What to Expect: Home Study Process.” Retrieved August 4, 2025, from here.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2018). “Home Study Requirements for Prospective Foster Parents - Maryland.” Retrieved July 9th, 2025, from here.
Fitzgerald, M. (2023). "Foster Care’s Missing Policies for Sexual and Reproductive Health." The Imprint. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from here.
Font, S. A., & Gershoff, E. T. (2020). "Foster Care: How We Can, and Should, Do More for Maltreated Children." Social Policy Report. Retrieved July 9, 2025 from here.
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Hessing, A. (2022). “Sexual Abuse of Children in the United States Foster Care System.” Retrieved August 4, 2025, from here.
Hunter, J. (2024). “There’s a Critical Need for More Foster Parents in Maryland.” WMAR 2 News Baltimore. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from here.
Kirkner, A., Goodman, K. L., Mullin, T. M., & Wright, A. W. (2024). "Sexual Abuse and Disclosure Concerns of Youth in Foster Care." Child Abuse & Neglect. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from here.
Miller, R. V. (2025). "Foster Care Sex Abuse Lawsuits." Lawsuit Information Center. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from here.
National Association of Social Workers (NASW). (n.d.). "NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Child Welfare." Retrieved July 9, 2025, from here.
State of Maryland. (2025). “Continuing Education Requirements COMAR 10.42.06.” Retrieved August 4, 2025, from here.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2022). “The AFCARS Report: Maryland” Retrieved August 21, 2025 from here.
Yoshioka-Maxwell, A. (2022). "Experiences of Abuse: Homeless Former Foster Youth and Their Experiences of Abuse in Out-of-Home Care." Child and Adolescent Social Work. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from here.
