In Washington State, Child Protective Services (CPS) is entrusted with safeguarding children removed from abusive or neglectful environments. Yet, countless children— some just newborns—suffered further harm under CPS’s watch at the Cobb Center Group Home, operated by the Children’s Group Home Society (CHS). Despite its responsibility to ensure safety, the State continued to license this facility, even as reports of severe sexual abuse and neglect mounted.
The Cobb Center, originally intended to shelter “troubled” children, became a place of profound trauma. Complaints from within the home were ignored or dismissed. Investigations were neglected. State oversight failed. Experts have confirmed that the home repeatedly violated even the most basic standards of care. Children placed there endured prolonged physical and emotional abuse—damage that, for many, will last a lifetime.
This is not just a failure of a system—it is a moral crisis. We must demand accountability, justice for survivors, and urgent reform to ensure no child is ever left to suffer in silence again under the guise of state protection.
