BALTIMORE — Civil rights organizations and advocates representing three Maryland teens are challenging the state’s oversight of medical records for foster children receiving psychotropic drugs, according to a new federal lawsuit filed this week.
In Maryland, 1 out of every 3 foster children are being given psychotropic medications, often without a documented psychiatric diagnosis, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for Maryland.
Attorneys for the ACLU of Maryland, Disability Rights Maryland and Children’s Rights allege the Maryland Department of Human Services and its Social Services Administration, the entity responsible for administering the state’s child welfare program, has failed to provide oversight mechanisms to ensure child safety, potentially exposing children in their care to serious harm.
