'Ample evidence' of child abuse at the Refuge in Bastrop County, Texas foster care court monitors say

Texas foster care monitors are challenging a Texas Rangers report that said abuse did not occur at a Bastrop County foster facility earlier this month.

Earlier this month, nine employees at the Refuge were accused of sex trafficking some of their foster girls after several reports, starting as early as Jan. 24, to the statewide intake hotline alleged sexual and physical abuse, sexual exploitation, neglectful supervision and medical neglect at the facility.

Gov. Greg Abbott on March 10 ordered Texas Rangers from the Department of Public Safety to investigate the trafficking allegations at the Refuge, a residential treatment center for girls who were victims of sex trafficking. The facility has been temporarily closed.

Less than a week later, the Texas Rangers’ investigation showed that initial allegations of sex trafficking were inaccurate, but that allegations of nude photography of teenage girls was still under investigation.

In a letter to Abbott, DPS Director Steven McCraw wrote that Texas Rangers found "there was no evidence that any of the residents at the Refuge shelter have ever been sexually abused or trafficked while at the shelter."

According to DPS officials the purpose of McCraw’s March 16 letter was to provide a summary of the initial findings of the investigation of sex trafficking at The Refuge. Preliminary findings remain the same, officials said, as they have not identified any additional evidence of sexual abuse or human trafficking to have occurred.

"It is imperative that DFPS continue to document and report all allegations – whether they are substantiated or not – so that comprehensive criminal investigations can be conducted," the agency said in a statement. "The investigation by the Texas Rangers is still ongoing, and they are committed to pursuing each and every allegation to its end and interviewing all persons necessary before concluding the investigation.”

Details of the investigation were displayed during two legislative hearings this month looking into the Refuge allegations and how the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services responded.

But for the last several weeks, court monitors, who are tasked with overseeing the improvements in the Texas foster care system, have reviewed thousands of documents, records and audio recordings related to the allegations of sexual abuse, neglect and exploitation at the Refuge.

A court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday where state leaders and U.S. District Court Judge Janis Jack will discuss the situation at the Refuge. Jack ordered state officials to provide the recorded interviews of the girls who were placed at the shelter, according to court documents.

Findings from a new report

A new report that was released Monday night, details findings that contradict the Texas Rangers report saying “the evidence strongly suggests Col. McGraw’s conclusion that there was no evidence of sexual abuse or trafficking at The Refuge was, at best, premature.”

'This is appalling': Staff at Bastrop County sex trafficking refuge for girls accused of sex trafficking

According to the report, one resident was not interviewed by law enforcement at the time of that report, adding that she had proof that abuse had occurred.

“The monitors’ review revealed ample evidence for the Department of Family and Protective Services to substantiate child sex abuse, exploitation, neglectful supervision, and physical abuse based upon evidence that a Refuge staff member provided drugs to two children in her care, and induced them to take and sell, or try to sell, naked photographs of themselves in exchange for drugs,” the report states.

Additionally, the report says, "four staff members at the Refuge were either involved in helping a child run away from the facility or had undisclosed contact with the child after she fled, and there is ample evidence to substantiate allegations of neglectful supervision by numerous caregivers."

The records also include significant evidence of serious risks to child safety, including reoccurring failures to provide 24/7 supervision, managerial knowledge of staff sleeping during shifts and failing to properly report it; staff failures to maintain appropriate boundaries with children; and record-keeping failures that posed a risk of harm to children, according to the report.

'There is not a good answer': : Texas foster care under fire after Refuge sex trafficking allegations

The monitors also found evidence that leaders at the Refuge failed to report a child’s outcry of alleged abuse and neglect by a staff member in 2021.

According to state documents, the Refuge had been cited 43 times by Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Residential Child Care Regulation since July 2018 for noncompliance with minimum standards, including background check problems, improper caregiver responsibilities, and medication storage and record violations.

Of these citations, more than half were ranked medium-high to high, the highest ranks in severity.

The Refuge Ranch opened in August 2018 on 50 acres in Bastrop County. It’s the largest long-term, live-in rehabilitation community for child survivors of sex trafficking in the country, and it is designed to house girls ages 11 to 19.

Founder and Executive Director Brooke Crowder said the facility has served more than 70 girls. The organization provides on-site services to help the girls heal and thrive, including an on-site charter school and access to mental and physical health care.

At least one employee, who has not been identified by authorities, was arrested in February and charged with lying to federal authorities who were looking into employees who helped two girls run away from the facility.

More: CEO of Bastrop Refuge shelter says former employee sold nude photos of two girls and gave them drugs

“There is ample evidence of violations of high and medium-high standards related to child safety, and of child abuse, neglect or exploitation,” the report states. “The ... managerial lapses, which permitted serious risks to child safety to recur over time were not isolated and require a comprehensive, monitored plan to address safety threats and compliance with this Court’s orders for safe placements.”

Crowder said the court monitor’s report seems to consist largely of allegations from former employees, many of whom were terminated for behavior that violated standards.

“As multiple parallel investigations advance with our full transparency and cooperation, we’re confident their conclusions will reveal that we’ve continually adhered to the highest standard of care for the girls in our care as they advance toward healing from the trauma of trafficking,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Evidence of child abuse at the Refuge, foster care court monitors say