The senator, referencing the Eldorado raid, said the issue of having enough safe and appropriate foster care placements will be addressed in an April 30 legislative interim meeting of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, of which she is chairwoman.

The meeting, she said in her statement, "will examine the actions taken this month at Eldorado and the lessons being learned as DFPS continues the single largest child welfare investigation ever undertaken in our state. We will evaluate the impact it is having on an already strapped foster system. We will also discuss the state's efforts to recruit and certify Texans stepping up to become foster and adoptive parents."

Greg Cunningham, a spokesman with DFPS, said the agency, however, is confident it will be able to place any FLDS children ordered to remain in custody into safe and appropriate foster homes.

"We are in a relatively good position as far as that goes," Cunningham said, pointing out that while 17,000 children to 9,500 homes sounds like a shortfall, often multiple children go to one home.

"We feel confident should the judge rule in our favor that we will find a safe and appropriate place for them," he said.

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E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com