NEWSCHANNEL 5 Investigation: Foster Care Investigation

The system that's designed to protect children may also be hurting them

CORPUS CHRISTI - A foster mother called NEWSCHANNEL 5 for help after she was unable to get a few belongings to her former foster child.

Traci Jordan was just trying to send a few items the child owned to him, after he was pulled out of foster care.

"Something we'd take for granted if we move we take our belongings, a foster child can't take that for granted," she says.

The child, named Sean, was from the Valley. He was shipped to Corpus Christi, after Child Protective Services was unable to find him a home here.

Jordan tells NEWSCHANNEL 5 the boy's case workers sporadically visited the home, despite a mandated monthly visit.

When we asked CPS why the case workers didn't visit as often as required. All they could say is they can't comment.

A spokesman did tell NEWSCHANNEL 5 that if case workers aren't visiting every month, their supervisors should be told.

A CPS handbook does not outline any rules for shipping belongings. Nor does it specifically lay out how case workers are regulated.

Sean's biological father says his son has several medical conditions, but he never got any medical records or even his son's birth certificate.

Tonight, Sean is lucky. He has a biological parent and a foster parent working to make sure he's safe.