Kids could be sleeping in your local DCS office. Here's how often it happens in Indiana.

(This story was updated to correct an editing error.)

An IndyStar investigation revealed that more than 160 children removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect spent at least one day stuck in Department of Child Services ' offices in the first six months of 2024 due to a lack of placement options.

The issue is the culmination of several complicated factors, but experts say using office buildings for stop-gap housing places additional mental and emotional strain on already vulnerable youth. The investigation also found the practice can result in injuries to DCS staff supervising the youth.

You can read the full investigation here .

The findings include:

How many kids 'lived' in DCS offices

According to data provided by DCS, 168 children spent at least 24 hours in DCS offices from Jan. 1 to July 30, 2024.

It is not possible to compare that number to past years because the agency just began monitoring the data statewide at the end of 2023.

How many DCS offices housed kids

At least 32 DCS offices across the state housed a juvenile for more than 23 hours.

How long were kids housed in DCS offices

The average stay for the 168 kids forced to live in DCS offices from Jan. 1 through June 30 was three days.

But 23 of the children had stays that lasted a week or more. The longest stay: 33 days.

How many kids were staying in DCS offices at a time

Data provided by DCS shows as many as five to eight kids were staying in an office at one time. The offices with the most stays were in Evansville and Indianapolis.

How common was it for kids to stay in a DCS office

The 168 kids identified as being held for more than 23 hours in a DCS office spent a total of 611 days in those offices. That's an average of more than three kids every day — or 23 per week — spending a night in a DCS office somewhere across the state.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kids could be sleeping in your local DCS office. Here's how often it happens in Indiana.