Child Welfare Shares Progress On Key Performance Measures - 03/13/26
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) published its fourth quarter report with key data points and information showing progress and work under way to improve the child welfare system.
The report covers many aspects of the child welfare system, which includes the child abuse hotline, child abuse and family needs assessments, resource (foster) care and supporting families’ safety so children in resource care can return home. It also includes programs and services to prevent child abuse.
“Keeping children safe is our core mission,” said Rolanda Garcia, interim Child Welfare director. “We are committed to making steady progress to improve outcomes for children and families.”
Highlights from the report include:
Faster child safety assessments
- What it is and why it matters
When ODHS receives a report of suspected child abuse and neglect, a team investigates the situation and assesses the child’s and family’s needs. When cases are assessed within a 60-day window, families receive information about next steps to create safety plans or a determination about temporarily moving children to a relative or resource family for safety. Overdue assessments can cause additional family stress and uncertainty and increase risks to child safety.
- Report metrics
The monthly proportion of safety assessments completed within 60 days steadily increased throughout 2025, rising from 38.2% in January to 50.5% in December. This improvement was accomplished through a series of initiatives including requiring every Child Welfare district office to develop a data-driven plan for improving completion timelines on investigations. Improving assessment timeliness is also part of the ODHS Safety Action Plan initiated in 2025.
Reducing use of temporary lodging
- What it is and why it matters
Temporary lodging provides supervised hotel lodging for youth awaiting higher levels of residential care. ODHS has been working aggressively to reduce the use of temporary lodging by working with behavioral health partners and providers to increase capacity and meet the complex needs of this small segment of children and young adults in care.
- Report metrics
The average number of children provided with temporary lodging nightly as they wait for a safe and appropriate placement declined to 8.33 in 2025, down from 10.86 the previous year. This measure has shown improvement since 2023 as Child Welfare identified children at risk of experiencing temporary lodging and developed child-specific plans to prevent that possibility. The total has been declining over time, with fewer children experiencing temporary lodging, and shorter stays overall. The total number of unique children who experienced temporary lodging in 2025 was 100, compared with 122 in 2023. In 2025, ODHS also opened four new programs with capacity to serve youth with specialized needs. Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF) and programs added 20 beds, and Behavior Rehabilitation Services (BRS)/Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTP) added 14 beds.
Placement of children with relatives
- What it is and why it matters
Children placed with relatives do better in terms of mental and physical health, as well as long-term outcomes. Placing children with relatives helps maintain family, community and cultural connections and reduces trauma.
- Report metrics
The monthly proportion of children placed with relatives when they first entered foster care steadily increased during 2025, rising from 24.6% in January to 44.4% in December. Child Welfare implemented the Relative Pathway certification process statewide in August 2025. The Relative Pathway streamlines the foster care certification process for relatives.
The report will be published on a quarterly basis to highlight progress on core initiatives.
“We are committed to transparency and accountability about our successes and challenges, and the plans we have in place to make things better,” said Liesl Wendt, ODHS Director. “We are making important progress in the way we serve children and families, and we have more work to do.”