(The Lion) — Maryland’s Social Security Administration has mistakenly placed 10 children under the care of seven sex-offenders as of August 2024, according to a recent state audit.
“Specifically, our audit disclosed that SSA did not have comprehensive procedures to ensure individuals with disqualifying criminal backgrounds did not have access to children in the State’s care,” the audit reports.
The audit found seven sex-offenders shared addresses of “approved guardianship homes.” In one situation, four children, between the ages of 4 and 8, lived at the same address as a registered sex-offender whose record includes crimes against a minor.
The SSA claimed it relied on the Office of Licensing and Monitoring (OLM) to perform background checks without any additional verification.
In another safety failure, OLM reviewed and approved a home in April 2023 where, in June of that year, an individual employed there transported three children for “inappropriate activity,” according to Washington County LDSS’s investigation, which reported conclusive “evidence of abuse.”
The accused had previously been convicted for sexual assault of a minor in 2014. SSA could not provide any documentation of OLM’s background check, the state audit reports.
Additionally, SSA failed to properly screen vendors who “provided one-on-one services to foster care children in hotels,” according to the audit. These services included transportation, administering medication, and preparing meals, with the SSA paying $1,300 a night per child.
One of those vendors was a convicted murderer, The Daily Wire reports.
Abuse allegations or reports of neglect in the audit totaled 17,000, according to the news outlet.
While SSA in Maryland has failed to secure safe homes for foster-care children, Slovakia has passed a law that permits only heterosexual married couples to adopt children.
Supporters praised the law for “protecting Slovak children,” EU Today reports.
The law defines sex as “male or female as determined at birth,” and forbids “non-biological interpretations of sex” in school curricula, according to EU Today. These definitions remain consistent with the Slovak constitution’s definition of marriage: “a unique union between a man and a woman,” PBS News reports.
The Slovak Parliament passed its law with 90 affirmative votes of the 150-seat National Council, PBS reports.
“We cannot allow ideology to confuse our children,” a member of parliament told EU Today. “This amendment safeguards parents’ rights and the truth of biology.”
