Kylie's Story

Kylie was seven when Wyatt v. Kotek was filed. In her first two months in foster care she was moved to five placements. She ran away from two and, at one point, went back to her mother’s home. Due to the trauma she’s been exposed to, Kylie can act out by hurting herself, shouting, or pushing people away.  DHS did not advise any of her foster parents about her behaviors to prepare and equip them to immediately support her and connect her to appropriate services. 

One foster family took Kyle to the hospital on a weekend out of fear she would harm herself. They couldn’t complete the intake process because they didn’t know her last name. More than six weeks after she entered foster care, Kylie was placed in a residential psychiatric facility in Portland. There she received treatment for head lice that she had when she came into care several weeks earlier.