Written on May 12, 2026. Posted in Child Welfare News & Insights.

Prince George's County Foster Care Task Force Holds Inaugural Meeting

Prince George's County's newly formed Foster Care Task Force held its inaugural meeting on May 12, 2025, bringing together 19 community members, government officials, educators, and child welfare professionals to begin examining the county's foster care system and develop recommendations for improvement. Championed by Council Member Edward Burroughs III, the task force was created to strengthen outcomes for foster youth, children of justice-involved parents, and vulnerable families across the county — and its launch comes as official data show hundreds of children remain in foster placements locally, with one in nine placed in congregate care settings. Read on for what the task force is charged with doing, who is at the table, and what it means for children and families in Prince George's County.

A New Step Toward Foster Care Reform in Prince George's County

On the morning of Tuesday, May 12, 2026, the Prince George's County Foster Care Task Force gathered for the first time in the Council's Committee Meeting Room at the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building in Largo, Maryland. The 19-member body was created under Council Resolution CR-126-2025, introduced by Council Member Edward Burroughs III, whose work on behalf of foster youth and justice-impacted families has been a focus of his tenure on the County Council.

The meeting marked the formal beginning of a county-led effort to take a hard look at how Prince George's County supports children in foster care — and where gaps exist. Autumn-Joi Barrett, a television host and radio personality, has been appointed to serve as Chair of the task force. Council Member Burroughs and Chair Barrett were both made available for interviews before and after the meeting.

Why This Task Force Was Created

The backdrop for this initiative is a clear set of local numbers. According to Prince George's County Council data, 117 children entered foster care in 2024, and 439 youth were in foster care placements at some point during that year. Of those, 11 percent were placed in congregate care — group homes and facility-based settings rather than family homes — a figure that county officials and child welfare advocates have flagged as a continuing concern.

Congregate care placements, while sometimes necessary for youth with complex needs, are associated with poorer long-term outcomes when used as a default. Federal law — including the Family First Prevention Services Act, enacted in 2018 — has pushed states and localities to reduce congregate care placements and increase access to community-based family settings. Prince George's County's task force structure reflects that same direction.

Council Member Burroughs framed the urgency plainly in a statement released ahead of the meeting: "We want to make sure the kids and teens in foster care are getting the best care possible while being positioned for the best future possible. This new task force is an essential step toward revamping our foster care system and ensuring the best possible outcomes for everyone involved."

What the Task Force Is Charged With Doing

The task force's mandate is broad but focused. According to the county's published charge, the body is expected to:

Examine existing county practices within the foster care and child welfare systems.
Recommend policy, operational, and budget actions to improve outcomes for foster youth.
Develop strategies to increase the social safety net for foster youth, with particular attention to children of justice-involved parents and families affected by the criminal justice system.
Coordinate across multiple county agencies — including the Department of Social Services, the Department of Family Services, the Department of Health and Human Services, Prince George's County Public Schools, and the Housing Authority of Prince George's County.

The inclusion of children of justice-involved parents is a notable focus. When a parent is incarcerated or entangled in the criminal justice system, children are frequently at elevated risk of entering foster care — yet that specific population is often underserved by traditional child welfare frameworks. The task force's explicit attention to this group reflects a more holistic view of why children enter care in the first place.

Who Is at the Table

The 19-member task force brings together a cross-section of professionals with direct stakes in the county's child welfare system. Confirmed members include leadership from the Prince George's County Department of Social Services, the Department of Family Services, and the Housing Authority of Prince George's County. Prince George's County Public Schools' Associate Superintendent of Student Services also has a seat, recognizing the critical role schools play in identifying and supporting children in foster care.

Community-based organizations are also represented. Yolanda Johnson, Executive Director of the local Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, joins the group — bringing the perspective of court-appointed volunteers who advocate directly for children in the dependency system. Robert Bell of Sasha Bruce Youth Work/Promise Place and Lisa Dominguez, CEO of Paths for Families, round out the community provider presence.

The representation of both government and community voices is intentional. Effective foster care reform requires coordination across the systems a child touches — from placement decisions made by social workers to school enrollment handled by educators to housing stability managed by housing authorities. A task force that siloes any one of those perspectives risks missing the full picture of a child's life.

The Broader Maryland Context

The launch of Prince George's County's task force does not happen in isolation. Maryland's foster care system has been under intense scrutiny over the past year. The September 2025 death of 16-year-old Kanaiyah Ward — a foster youth who died by suicide while placed in a Baltimore City hotel — prompted statewide grief and legislative action. Governor Wes Moore signed "Kanaiyah's Law" into law on April 28, 2026, creating an independent foster care ombudsman and prohibiting the placement of foster children in hotels, homeless shelters, and other unlicensed settings.

On May 5, 2026 — just one week before the task force's inaugural meeting — Governor Moore announced additional reforms approved through the Board of Public Works, including contracts establishing statewide one-on-one care standards for youth with complex needs through eight providers, and the opening of 37 new licensed group home beds. The state is building toward a multi-year commitment to expand foster care capacity and improve placement quality across Maryland.

Prince George's County, as Maryland's second-largest county by population and one of the most diverse in the nation, carries significant weight in those statewide efforts. Meaningful reform at the county level — especially one that integrates housing, schools, and justice-system-involved families — could become a model for other Maryland jurisdictions.

What Families and Community Members Can Do Now

Task forces produce recommendations — but lasting change happens when communities stay engaged with the process. There are several ways residents and professionals can contribute to this work:

Follow the task force's public meetings. The task force was established under a public council resolution and is expected to hold ongoing meetings. Prince George's County residents can track meeting schedules and agendas through the County Council's official website.
Connect with local foster care organizations. Organizations like CASA of Prince George's County recruit, train, and support community volunteers who advocate for children in the dependency court system. If you are interested in becoming a voice for a child in care, CASA is a direct way to make an impact.
Consider foster care or kinship care. One of the most persistent challenges in the foster care system is a shortage of safe, caring, licensed family placements — particularly for teenagers, sibling groups, and children with complex needs. If you have the capacity to open your home, contact Prince George's County's Department of Social Services to learn more about becoming a licensed resource family.
Stay informed and share credible information. Public awareness of the foster care system — including what children experience and what supports help them thrive — shapes both policy and community culture. Sharing accurate, compassionate information matters.

What to Watch Next

The task force has no formal published deadline for its recommendations at the time of this reporting, but its structure and cross-agency membership suggest the county intends to move with purpose. In the months ahead, watch for the task force to release preliminary findings, host community listening sessions, or present recommendations to the County Council. Any proposed changes to how the Department of Social Services handles placements, how the county funds foster family support, or how schools serve children in care would represent meaningful developments worth following.

For a population of children who rarely have the political power to advocate for themselves, this task force represents an organized, structured commitment that the county is paying attention. Whether that attention translates into sustained, well-resourced action is the question those 439 children — and the families that care for them — are counting on being answered.