Foster Care Abuse Representing Survivors Nationwide

Foster Care Sexual Abuse Attorneys

Fighting For Foster Care Sexual Abuse Survivors

While foster care can provide a safe home for children who have dealt with abuse, trauma, or losses that have left them without family, the unfortunate reality is that these children often face further suffering in a system that all too often fails to keep them safe.

With more than 420,000 children in U.S. foster care, according to AFCARS, an unstable program that notoriously lacks transparency is ill-equipped to handle allegations of abuse, even though programs, social workers, and officials have an obligation to reasonably address and report claims.

At The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP, we have extensive experience representing survivors of child sexual abuse in civil lawsuits across the country, including claims involving sexual abuse against children in foster care and group homes. If you or your loved one has a potential case, our foster care sexual abuse lawyers are here to help.

Call The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP, LLP today at (800) 477-2989 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with our foster care sexual abuse attorney.

Millions Recovered On Behalf Of Our Clients

For decades, our team has been handled some of the most complex sexual abuse and personal injury claims across the nation. For more information, please contact our office to set up a free consultation at (800) 477-2989.

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Why Choose The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP?

Nationally recognized leaders in civil sexual abuse litigation
Decades of collective experience fighting for victims and families
Lead roles in major sex abuse litigation resulting in multi-million-dollar global settlements
Millions recovered for survivors nationwide in multi- and single-victim cases

Beyond results, we have built our entire firm around representing survivors of sexual abuse and holding institutions accountable. That means every part of our team—from attorneys to paralegals and our in-house investigator—is aligned around understanding foster care systems, agency policies, and the patterns of negligence that allow abuse to continue. We use what we have learned in high-profile cases to identify systemic failures quickly and to pursue claims that not only seek compensation, but also push foster care agencies and related organizations to change how they operate.

Call our firm today at (800) 477-2989 or contact us online to request a free and confidential case review with a foster care sexual abuse lawyer.

Common Forms of Sexual Abuse in Foster Care

Foster care systems have legal obligations to reasonably handle sexual abuse allegations. Unfortunately, foster programs often fail to protect placed children from sexual abuse by foster parents and other predators or abusers.

The common forms of sexual abuse in foster care include:

Inappropriate Touching or Fondling: This involves any non-consensual, intentional contact with a child's body for sexual purposes. It can include touching of private parts, either over or under clothing, and forcing the child to touch the perpetrator.
Exposure to Sexual Content: This includes showing children pornography or involving them in the creation of sexual images or videos. Exposing children to sexually explicit material is a form of sexual abuse that can have long-lasting psychological effects.
Sexual Exploitation: Children may be coerced or manipulated into performing sexual acts in exchange for money, goods, or other benefits. This can also involve trafficking, where children are moved from one place to another for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Verbal Sexual Harassment: This involves making sexual comments, jokes, or propositions to a child. It can also include threats or pressure to engage in sexual activities, creating a hostile and intimidating environment.
Rape or Attempted Rape: This is the most severe form of sexual abuse, involving forced or coerced sexual intercourse or attempted intercourse. It includes any form of penetration, regardless of how slight, without the child's consent.
Forcing a Child to Engage in Sexual Activities with Others: Sometimes, children may be forced to engage in sexual activities with other children or adults. This can be part of a broader pattern of exploitation and abuse within or outside the foster care environment.
Involvement in Prostitution or Sex Trafficking: Some children in foster care may be coerced into prostitution or sex trafficking. This form of abuse often involves organized criminal activities and severe manipulation and control over the victims.

Whether abuse is committed by a member of a child’s foster family, a program worker, or some other party, there may be options for survivors to bring civil lawsuits against not only wrongdoers, but also the program or system that failed to protect them.

Examples of claims related to foster care sexual abuse:

Lack of training, negligent hiring of social workers
Negligent or overworked social workers
Lack of supervision or improper monitoring
Inadequate screening policies
Ignored complaints or signs of abuse
Concealed or falsified reports

What Damages Could Be Recovered in a Foster Care Sexual Abuse Claim?

Victims of sexual assault, molestation, rape, and other forms of sexual abuse may have the right to bring civil claims against wrongdoers and/or the foster care systems that failed to take adequate steps in preventing abuse and protecting children.

As civil lawsuits, sex abuse claims offer survivors an opportunity to share their stories, ensure at-fault parties are held accountable, and help prevent abuse from happening to others. Additionally, these claims are designed to award victims monetary damages for the economic and non-economic losses they have incurred, which may include compensation for:

Pain and suffering
Emotional injuries
Psychological anguish
Medical or mental health services
Future medical or mental health treatment
Other damages arising from abuse

In many cases, survivors are unsure whether a foster care sexual abuse lawsuit is appropriate because the abuse happened years ago or because the perpetrator was already criminally prosecuted. Civil law serves a different purpose than criminal law, and these claims focus on the harm done to the survivor and the role of agencies or institutions that enabled the abuse to continue. By carefully documenting the impact of the abuse over time—on education, work, and relationships—we can present a fuller picture of the survivor’s losses to the court or to opposing parties.

Our legal team represents minor victims and parents in litigation against abusers and institutional defendants, as well as adult survivors who pursue claims over sexual abuse that occurred when they were children. New legislation like California AB 218 and the NY Child Victims Act has allowed numerous adults to bring civil sex abuse claims that were previously barred by statutes of limitations.

How Common Is Sexual Abuse in Foster Care?

When a child is placed in foster care, they often leave behind a difficult and traumatic past. Unfortunately, some children enter a new set of troubling circumstances when they are placed with a foster family. Sexual abuse in foster care is a devastating reality for many children.

The statistics surrounding this issue are alarming:

Children in foster care are four times more likely to be sexually abused than their peers
Children in group homes are 28 times more likely to be sexually abused than their peers
Almost one-third of foster children in one study were abused by a foster parent or other adult in the home

The consequences of this abuse can be long-lasting and devastating for the child. The foster care system must take action to prevent these heinous acts from occurring and provide adequate support and care for those who have already experienced them.

Deadlines and Statutes of Limitations for Foster Care Sexual Abuse Claims

Every state sets its own deadlines for bringing civil claims related to childhood sexual abuse, and those rules can be especially complex when foster care agencies and public entities are involved. Some states have extended or “revival” windows that allow adult survivors to file claims for abuse that happened many years ago, while others still follow more restrictive timelines. In addition, shorter notice requirements can sometimes apply when a claim involves a government-run child welfare agency, making it important to understand the specific rules that may apply where the abuse occurred.

When we review a potential case, one of the first steps we take is to analyze which state’s law applies, how long the statutory period may be, and whether any recent legislative changes could open a path for a claim that was previously time-barred. Laws like California AB 218 and the NY Child Victims Act are examples of reforms that have given survivors new opportunities to seek accountability in civil court. We track similar changes across the country so we can advise survivors and families about whether they may still have time to file and what steps need to be taken to preserve their rights.

Because these rules are technical and frequently updated, survivors should not assume they are out of time based on something they read online or heard years ago. A careful review of the facts, including when the abuse was discovered or reported and what kind of agency was involved, can lead to different answers about timing than people expect. By discussing your situation with a team familiar with child welfare systems and evolving statute of limitations reforms, you can get clearer guidance on whether pursuing a civil claim is still possible and what deadlines may be approaching.

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A Record of Success

Examples of Some of Our Successful Cases:

The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP has cultivated a record of proven success in high-stakes personal injury cases across the state of California and the U.S. As a firm experienced in fighting for victims, we have won millions in verdicts and settlements for injured victims and their families.

$4,250,000 Child Sexual Abuse
Single Victim
$4.25 Million paid to single sexual abuse Plaintiff.
$4,150,000 Child Sexual Abuse
Single Victim
$4.15 Million paid to single sexual abuse Plaintiff.
$4,000,000 Child Sexual Abuse
Single Victim
$4 Million paid to single sexual abuse Plaintiff.
$3,000,000 Child Sexual Abuse
Single Victim
$3 Million paid to single sexual abuse Plaintiff.
$2,750,000 Child Sexual Abuse
Single Victim
$2.75 Million paid to single sexual abuse Plaintiff.

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Who Is Liable for Foster Care Sexual Abuse?

Foster care is supposed to provide a safe haven for children who need it the most. However, foster care abuse is a reality that cannot be ignored. In cases where a child has suffered sexual abuse while in foster care, it is natural to question who is responsible.

The answer to this question can vary depending on a few factors.

Generally, the foster care agency is responsible for ensuring the safety of the child, making it liable for any abuse that may be inflicted on the child in its care. However, determining liability can sometimes be complicated, as there may be multiple parties involved. Ultimately, it is essential to hold all parties responsible for any abuse and ensure that they face appropriate legal consequences.

Several different parties may potentially share responsibility for foster care sexual abuse, depending on the facts of the case:

Public or private foster care agencies. These entities are typically charged with placing children, approving foster homes, and monitoring ongoing safety, and may be liable when they ignore red flags or fail to follow their own policies.
Individual social workers and supervisors. Workers who overlook reports, fail to investigate concerns, or leave a child in a known dangerous placement can contribute to liability for themselves and for the agencies that employ them.
Foster parents and other caregivers. Adults in the home who commit abuse, or who knowingly allow another person access to the child, can be held directly responsible for the harm they cause.
Contractors and related service providers. Group homes, residential treatment centers, and outside agencies that provide housing or services under contract may bear responsibility when abuse occurs in their programs.

In many foster care sexual abuse cases, potential liability may extend beyond the agency itself to include individual social workers, supervisors, private placement agencies, and sometimes third-party contractors that provide housing or services. Liability can arise when these entities fail to conduct proper background checks, ignore or minimize reports of concerning behavior, or leave a child in a placement despite clear indicators that the environment is unsafe. By examining the paper trail and interviewing witnesses, we work to identify each decision point where someone could have acted to prevent harm but did not.

Because foster care systems operate under a mix of state statutes, regulations, and internal policies, determining who may be held accountable often requires carefully sorting out which organization had legal custody, who had day-to-day supervision responsibilities, and who controlled key decisions about placement and monitoring. Our team evaluates these relationships to help survivors understand whether they may have claims against public entities, private agencies, or both.

How Our Foster Care Sexual Abuse Attorney Can Help You

Pursuing a foster care sexual abuse case can be a daunting and emotional process. With deep experience in cases involving abuse and institutional negligence, we provide comprehensive, compassionate representation that addresses each aspect of your case.

Our approach includes:

Conducting thorough investigations: We gather all relevant documents, records, and witness testimonies to uncover evidence of abuse and identify responsible parties.
Building a strong case: We work to establish liability through detailed case preparation, addressing any oversight, negligence, or misconduct by foster care agencies and individuals involved.
Protecting survivor privacy: We prioritize the privacy and safety of survivors, using confidentiality protections whenever possible to shield them from undue exposure or distress.
Pursuing maximum compensation: We seek comprehensive compensation to cover the full scope of your losses, which includes medical expenses, therapy costs, and pain and suffering, to support your path toward healing.
Guidance and support throughout the legal process: From the initial consultation to the final settlement or court ruling, we stand by your side, providing regular updates, transparent communication, and support every step of the way.

We understand that many survivors of foster care sexual abuse struggle with the idea of reliving painful memories. We are dedicated to creating a safe, empathetic environment for you to share your experiences at your own pace. In the courtroom, we work tirelessly to expose the truth of what occurred and help ensure justice is served.

When you reach out to us, our first conversations are focused on listening and helping you understand your options, not forcing you into immediate decisions. We explain how a foster care sexual abuse attorney can interact with law enforcement, child welfare agencies, and other institutions that may already be involved, so you have a clear picture of how the pieces fit together. Throughout the case, we remain mindful of the emotional toll the process can take and adjust how we gather information or prepare testimony to reduce unnecessary stress while still moving your case forward.

I showed up to my relationship with The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP messy, terrified and in severe distress. Ryan, Devin and Irwin held space for me and all of my pain. They honored my story, treated me with kindness, and gave me a safe place to begin the healing process. The greatest gift of all is this; each time I asked for a hero, they handed me a sword. I was empowered.

- Kate
“Having been privileged to work with these professionals, I highly recommend and trust them to handle any sexual abuse case in confidence and handled with the utmost of confidentiality and integrity anyone would desire as a victim or a survivor.”

- Guy
“My experience with The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP has been life-altering. It was a pleasure to work with every employee at the firm. They made me feel as if they genuinely cared about me while maintaining a professional statute.”

- Alex
“The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP does not just represent their clients, The feeling they put into their cases makes you feel like you are part of a family. I can proudly say that I am part of a brotherhood and sisterhood of genuine and caring people.”

- Jason

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Contact Our Foster Care Sexual Abuse Attorney Today

The Zalkin Law Firm, LLP has dedicated much of our practice to representing survivors in sexual abuse claims. We know the immense courage it takes to step forward and do everything within our power to provide clients with the support and experienced representation they need to take on what are often powerful adversaries who refuse to accept responsibility.

When you contact us, you can expect a private, confidential conversation where we answer your questions and learn more about what happened in the foster care setting. We typically discuss how long the abuse went on, what the agency or social workers knew or should have known, and what steps, if any, were taken when concerns were raised. We then outline possible next steps, including whether a civil claim might be available now or in the future, so you can decide if you want to continue without feeling rushed or pressured.

If you would like to learn more about your rights and how our lawyers can help you pursue a foster care sexual abuse claim, call (800) 477-2989 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation with our foster care sexual abuse lawyer.

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