Governor Patrick Morrisey announces an update on his foster care reform initiatives on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at the State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia. (Photo courtesy of West Virginia Governor’s Office Patrick Morrisey)
Gov. Patrick Morrisey wants the state to fund more state-run group homes for foster children, with the goal of bringing home hundreds of children currently housed in out-of-state facilities across the country.
At a news conference Tuesday, Morrisey said foster children living out of state are “a terrible problem.”
“We need to bring our children home,” he said at the state Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia.
The governor said he will request $6 million in state funding for a fresh fund aimed at renovating existing state-owned buildings with the goal of creating beds for foster children in need of acute mental and behavioral health services.
Morrisey wants to nearly eliminate the exploit of out-of-state internships.
“We’ve talked about how the state has failed many of the children who are in state care. To me that’s unacceptable,” he said.
There are currently 380 children in out-of-state facilities in states including California, Florida, Texas and Utah, according to the state Department of Human Services. About 160 additional children live outside the state with family members or relative caregivers.
West Virginia does not have enough facility beds to accommodate children with acute behavioral or mental health needs. One of the state’s remaining mental health facilities for children – a 24-hour treatment facility in Cabell County – recently announced that it would be closed. The lack of in-state options has led to a reliance on out-of-state providers for foster care.
Last year, the The state spent $70 million Placing foster children in out-of-state facilities, including some with allegations of abuse. The price includes the education of the children.
Republican lawmakers recently proposed The idea of creating the fund was aimed at expanding the state’s options for foster children, and Morrisey said he would work with the Legislature to achieve that goal.
“These dollars will be used to renovate (and) repair existing state properties by providing high-level psychiatric, neural, developmental and trauma services to children in West Virginia,” Morrisey said.
He continued: “We’re trying to think about how we can take the savings that come from bringing people home and use that to continually invest in repairing or renovating the facilities.”
Lawmakers heard testimony last week from the chairman of Burlington United Methodist Family Services, which operates 82 children’s residential beds, group nursing homes and more, was the DoHS still having difficulty paying providers regular. This has led to some state providers being reluctant to provide more beds for more vulnerable children.
In response, DoHS leaders told lawmakers that the payments will expire and may be delayed by a week. Additionally, the department reviews some child welfare providers after identifying overpayments to ensure funds are being used appropriately for children.
Morrisey is touting improvements in care in his first year
Morrisey and Alex Mayer, DoHS secretary, announced further improvements to the state’s foster care system, which serves more than 5,900 children.
The state has reduced its backlog of referrals to child protective services by more than 50%, Morrisey said.
Mayer, who began his role earlier this year, focused on improving CPS by implementing a statewide practice model to ensure workers’ decisions are consistent and trauma-informed.
He had already begun that work when a recent federal audit revealed that CPS employees were working in West Virginia failed to properly investigate The majority of child abuse and neglect referrals occurred in 2023-24. The audit reviewed the handling of child abuse and neglect cases prior to Mayer’s appointment.
“By examining patterns and data that were previously isolated or underutilized, we can more specifically identify where foster families are needed, what supports will help them succeed, and how to reduce disruptions in placement before they occur,” Mayer said, adding that the state is improving early intervention to prevent children from ending up in foster care.
Morrisey said fewer children have been removed from their homes in the state this year.
“We need to reduce this number much further, I think that is crucial,” he said.
Mayer emphasized that progress does not mean the work is finished.
“The challenges facing children, families and frontline workers have disappeared. What progress means is that we have begun to lay a foundation strong enough to support sustainable change,” he said.
State lawmakers have said they will at least implement it 15 more nursing laws — along with funding for state beds — was aimed at improving the system, including a system that would require CPS workers wearing a body camera when investigating reports of child abuse and neglect.
When Morrisey was asked if he would support lawmakers’ proposals on child welfare, he responded, “I’ll put it this way: We’re in the process of finalizing our legislative agenda, and we look forward to working with the Legislature on a lot of different issues.”
“Much more needs to be done regarding CPS and foster care, and you should expect extensive collaboration with lawmakers on this issue,” Morrisey continued.
The 60-day legislative session begins Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Morrisey will deliver his second State of the State address that evening.
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- 6:39 p.mThis story has been updated to clarify that 380 West Virginia foster children are in out-of-state facilities; About 160 children live out of state with family members or relative caregivers.
