INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A lawsuit filed on behalf of nine Indiana foster children claims the Indiana Department of Child Services doesn’t protect 22,000 children with open child welfare cases, including more than 14,000 in out-of-home care.

The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday seeks class-action status and was brought by a group called Indiana Disability Rights, the national advocacy group A Better Childhood and New York-based law firm Kirkland & Ellis. It claims the nine named plaintiffs have suffered serious physical and psychological harm while in state care.

The lawsuit says that “while children are in DCS custody, Indiana fails to keep them safe, often placing them in inappropriate, unstable, or overly restrictive placements” and fails to provide “meaningful” case management and necessary support services.

DCS spokeswoman Noelle Russell declined to comment on the lawsuit.