SouthernWorldwide.com – Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, is facing accusations from the state’s top child welfare official regarding his campaign’s use of vulnerable children and the state’s struggling foster care system.
The criticism stems from a new advertisement by Ossoff that highlights his work on the state’s foster care system. Candice Broce, Director of Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS), has called the ad misleading, suggesting Ossoff is seeking political credit by overstating his role in addressing serious child welfare issues.
The advertisement, titled “Our Kids,” features Ossoff referencing a “scathing report” and a “yearlong bipartisan investigation” conducted with Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee. Ossoff presents this investigation and subsequent legislation as evidence of his commitment to protecting children and ensuring accountability within the foster care system.
However, Broce argues that Ossoff’s portrayal is inaccurate. She stated on X that for five years, she and thousands of DFCS workers have been actively involved in advocating for vulnerable children and reforming the foster care system. Broce asserted that Ossoff was “nowhere to be found” during this time.
Broce further elaborated that Ossoff did not secure additional funding for DFCS, despite labeling the agency as incompetent and under-resourced. She also noted that he did not obtain more federal support for child advocacy centers, despite the state’s requests.
Additionally, Broce pointed out that Ossoff did not address federal legislation that negatively impacted group homes, nor has he streamlined the adoption process for children placed with families. She concluded that while Ossoff’s ad may sound appealing, his words lack substance for those actively working in the field.
Ossoff’s campaign responded sharply to Broce’s comments, labeling her an “unqualified partisan political hack” and accusing her of “dangerous incompetence.” They defended Ossoff’s oversight work, referencing findings from his investigation that indicated children in Georgia’s foster care system were potentially victims of sex trafficking while under state care, among other issues.
The campaign also brought up testimony from juvenile court judges who alleged that Broce suggested holding children with special needs in juvenile detention while DFCS searched for placements. Broce has denied these allegations, characterizing them as politically motivated and a distortion of discussions about ensuring the safety of foster youth with complex behavioral issues, runaway histories, and trafficking risks amidst placement shortages.
A spokesperson for Ossoff stated that Broce, who they described as a “partisan political hack irresponsibly placed in charge of care for the state’s most vulnerable kids,” should focus on fixing her agency rather than complaining about her “dangerous incompetence” being exposed.
Broce defended her qualifications, citing her background as a healthcare attorney, former chief deputy executive counsel, and chief operating officer to Governor Brian Kemp. In her previous role, she oversaw approximately 40 state agencies, including DFCS.
While not disputing the significant challenges facing Georgia’s foster care system, Broce maintained that Ossoff utilized these problems for hearings, reports, and campaign messaging without providing tangible solutions. She emphasized that if Ossoff intended to criticize the system, he should have offered concrete improvements.
Broce suggested that Ossoff could have leveraged his federal position to secure resources for areas such as Medicaid, behavioral health access, and placement capacity, rather than solely highlighting DFCS failures.
She highlighted that bipartisan support has resulted in over $100 million in state funds for the issues DFCS is addressing, indicating that legislators believe the agency deserves more resources. Broce extended an open invitation for Ossoff to genuinely assist in helping vulnerable Georgia children if he chose to do so.
Ossoff’s team, however, countered that it is not Senator Ossoff’s responsibility to fix the state agency led by Broce. They argued that Broce was unfairly shifting the blame by suggesting it was Ossoff’s job to rectify the state agency she manages.
Broce drew a stark contrast between Ossoff’s record and that of Georgia’s other U.S. Senator, Democrat Raphael Warnock. She pointed to Warnock’s community engagement with vulnerable mothers and children and his work on adoption-related measures as examples of practical support that she claims Ossoff has not provided.
She concluded that a comparison of their child welfare records clearly indicates which U.S. Senator from Georgia genuinely cares about vulnerable families and children, and that Senator is not Jon Ossoff.
Ossoff, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination, is seeking a second term in the upcoming November election. He will face off against Representative Mike Collins, a Republican who secured the GOP nomination. Senator Warnock’s current term will not require reelection until 2028.
