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A Texas child protective services worker was caught on camera telling a foster child to be a prostitute. The 14-year-old girl recorded their encounter after telling the worker she was hungry, FOX 26 reported.
In a snippet of the video, she’s heard telling the child “If you’re gonna be a h** be a real h**.”
The 14-year-old was staying at a Texas hotel in Harris County that houses many foster children. The teen’s mother, Keisha Bazley, called Texas child protective services for help with her daughter due to her disruptive behavior. Bazley, who has nine children, said her daughter had been running away and causing issues at school.
“My daughter told me that the worker had been telling her to do these things, so she said she decided to video her,” Bazley told FOX 26.
Bazley also filed a complaint against the department.
“This should not happen to girls in their care,” she said. “It should not happen. It’s unacceptable.”
Jamie Masters, the Commissioner of CPS, came to Houston to apologize to the mother and daughter in person. Bazley didn’t feel like the apology was “genuine.”
“I’ve never seen that happen before where the commissioner of CPS comes in from Austin, just to apologize about something horrible that’s been done to a child involved with CPS,” family law attorney Mike Schneider said. “It’s bad enough if it’s just one bad rogue worker. It concerns me that it may be bigger than that, and they need to make sure it’s not just one person, and they’ve got to find a way to protect these kids.”
Marissa Gonzales, a Department of Family and Protective Services spokesperson said the worker was terminated.
“The person in the video – who was employed as [child protective services] support staff — was dismissed from her position August 10,” Gonzales said. “The safety and appropriateness with which children in care must be treated is our paramount concern. Nothing less will be tolerated.”
The worker’s name hasn’t been released.
