June 7, 2008 - 9:46PM

By Ryan Holeywell,
The Monitor

McALLEN - The number of South Texas children in foster children has climbed at more than four times the state average.

State Child Protective Services officials say they can't explain the exact reason for the bump, but they believe it may be due to increased public awareness about child abuse and neglect.

Since fiscal year 2000, the number of Hidalgo County children in foster care increased more than 250 percent, even though the population of children in the county increased less than 30 percent.

And in Starr County, the number of children in foster care increased at nearly the same rate - even though the number of children living there actually declined.

The number of children in foster care across the state grew just 60 percent.

Even in the last three to four months, about 40 to 60 children in Hidalgo County have been placed in CPS custody each month, CPS Program Director Sandra Rodriguez said. Before that, only about 20 were put into the agency's custody each month.

"We haven't figured out what's going on," Rodriguez said, suggesting it may just be an issue of greater awareness. "I can't say I pick up a trend."

Neglectful supervision is the most common form of abuse here and statewide, according to CPS statistics.

CPS spokesman John Lennan also attributed the growing number of children in foster care to greater training of the agency's investigators and improved collaboration with local law enforcement.

Regardless of the reasons, the spike underscores the need for more foster and adoptive parents.

Emphasis added by H4K Editor