State/county: Arizona Narrative: Arizona Republic investigation reveals a rash of child maltreatments deaths, despite prior intervention by the state. More than 6,000 reports went uninvestigated. Action: Gov. Jan Brewer abolishes the state's Child Protective Services agency, declaring the child welfare system "broken," and vests that power in a new cabinet-level post. Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2014 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/14/us/gov-jan-brewer-of-arizona-overhauls-child-welfare-system.html Link 2: |
State/county: Colorado Narrative: 72 of 175 children who died from abuse and neglect were previously known to caseworkers, Denver Post reports. Action: Colorado's top child protection official resigns, and Gov. John Hickenlooper announces major reforms to the child welfare system. Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2013 Link: http://www.denverpost.com/failedtodeath Link 2: |
State/county: Florida Narrative: 477 children died despite their families being known to state social workers, a Miami Herald investigation shows. Action: In June, Gov. Rick Scott signs a sweeping reform of child protection that discarded a decade-old policy favoring the rights of parents over children. Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2014 Link: http://pubsys.miamiherald.com/2014/06/23/4196335/sweeping-child-welfare-changes.html Link 2: |
State/county: Los Angeles County (California) Narrative: In 2013, 8-year-old boy dies at hands of mother despite six previous county investigations, the Los Angeles Times reports. Action: County forms a blue-ribbon panel, votes to hire child protection "czar" Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2014 Link: http://www.latimes.com/local/countygovernment/la-me-foster-reform-20140611-story.html Link 2: http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_17902947?nclick_check=1 |
State/county: Minnesota Narrative: The death of 4-year-old Eric Dean from maltreatment despite 15 prior reports of abuse sheds light on child protection failures, the Star Tribune reports. Action: Gov. Mark Dayton convenes a task force to issue recommendations for legislative reforms by December. Lawmakers vow to reverse a new law that made child protection ignore previous reports. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: No Year of action: 2014 Link: http://www.startribune.com/childprotection Link 2: |
State/county: South Carolina Narrative: Investigation by a state Senate panel reveals huge caseloads, lack of transparency and fatal child protection failures. Action: Lillian Koller, Gov. Nikki Haley's child welfare chief, resigns in June over criticism of child deaths. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2014 Link: http://www.thestate.com/2014/06/02/3483699_sc-gov-haleys-child-welfare-chief.html?rh=1 Link 2: |
State/county: Indiana Narrative: Agency director is accused of using his position to influence a child protection case involving his grandchildren. Action: The director, James Payne, resigned. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2012 Link: http://archive.indystar.com/article/20120922/NEWS/209230308/DCS-chief-James-Payne-fought-his-own-agency-over-family-matter Link 2: |
State/county: Tennessee Narrative: The state is under a federal court order to improve its child protection system. However, in 2011 and 2012, 113 children died who were known to the system. Action: The commissioner of the agency, Kate O'Day, resigned. Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2013 Link: http://archive.tennessean.com/article/20130206/NEWS0201/302060132/DCS-Commissioner-Kate-O-Day-folds-under-scrutiny Link 2: http://archive.tennessean.com/section/PROJECTS021 |
State/county: Richmond, Virginia Narrative: An Inspector General's report found the "Richmond Department of Social Services managers risked children�s health and safety in an effort to reduce foster-care numbers, altering protective and removal orders so judges would not fully understand the facts reported and ignoring medical recommendations from doctors." Action: Social Services Director Gayle Turner resigned. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2013 Link: http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/article_fc5d04b8-b8ba-11e2-a6cb-0019bb30f31a.html Link 2: |
State/county: Missouri Narrative: State Children's Division comes under scrutiny after withholding records on several Kansas City area child fatalities, whose circumstances indicate system failures, the Kansas City Star reports. Action: The director of the state child protection agency, Candace Shively, retired. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2013 Link: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article327322/Head-of-Missouri-Children%E2%80%99s-Division-leaving-amid-questions-about-child-welfare-system.html Link 2: |
State/county: Oklahoma Narrative: The state plans to hire 100 new child welfare workers and recruit 500 more foster parents after a lawsuit over the plight of children placed in foster care. Action: Reforms passed required the state to hire more child protection workers, increase their pay and training, and recruit more foster parents. Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: No Year of action: 2012 Link: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-department-of-human-services-reform-plan-approved/article/3695375 Link 2: |
State/county: Connecticut Narrative: The state's child advocate released a report this year stating "2013 was an unprecedented year for child fatalities." Action: The Department of Children and Families started working more closely with doctors and other health workers to get early warnings on abuse cases. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: No Year of action: 2014 Link: http://articles.courant.com/2014-07-31/news/hc-infant-fatalities-0801-20140731_1_dcf-commissioner-joette-katz-unsafe-sleeping-conditions-child-advocate-sarah-eagan Link 2: |
State/county: Massachusetts Narrative: Three children known to the state's child protection system died. The family of one those children, 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver, was under child protection supervision when he disappeared. Action: The head of the state's child protection agency, Olga Roche, resigned. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2014 Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/29/us/massachusetts-child-welfare-crisis/ Link 2: |
State/county: Vermont Narrative: Two infant deaths prompted increased scrutiny of the state's child welfare system. Action: The head of the state's child protection agency, David Yacovone, resigned. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2014 Link: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/3/head-of-vermonts-child-protection-agency-resigns/ Link 2: |
State/county: Texas Narrative: Law enforcement investigated child protection for evidence tampering and cover-ups following the death of a 22-month-old toddler. The child died six days after child protection closed a neglect investigation involving the toddler's family. Action: The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner, Howard Baldwin, resigned. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2012 Link: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-official-over-CPS-quits-after-Abilene-4021722.php Link 2: |
State/county: Illinois Narrative: More children in the state were dying of abuse and neglect than in the past 30 years, despite reforms that included reductions in worker caseloads and backlogged cases. Action: The director, Richard Calica, resigned, after a cancer diagnosis. Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2013 Link: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-11-15/news/chi-dcfs-director-resigns-20131115_1_richard-calica-child-abuse-hotline-shortcomings-dcfs Link 2: |
State/county: New York Narrative: Two killings of children known to Erie County (N.Y.) child protection reveal that past warnings went unheeded, and investigations were closed too soon. Action: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs law that requires the state to consider past abuse reports in investigating new abuse allegations. Erie County hires 64 new case workers. Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: No Year of action: 2014 Link: http://news.wbfo.org/post/abusive-deaths-prompt-state-legislation Link 2: |
State/county: Montana Narrative: The abuse death of 2-year-old October Perez in 2011 revealed numerous failures in the state's child protection system, the Great Falls Tribune reports. Action: Gov. Steve Bullock signs bills toughening penalties for child abuse and creating a state ombudsman for children and families to handle complaints about child protection. Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2013 Link: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/child-abuse/2014/06/27/montanas-child-protection-laws-need-changes-say/11525509/ Link 2: |
State/county: Washington County, Pennsylvania Narrative: Pittsburgh TV station WTAE found cases of children living in filth, and another case of a teenage girl moving in with a sex offender. Action: Reforms enacted?: No Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2012 Link: http://triblive.com/home/2287377-74/county-director-harbert-services-comment-irey-vaughan-youth-cases-cys#axzz3JNHSTQxA Link 2: |
State/county: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Narrative: Placement of foster children in unlicensed homes was one of a number of longstanding problems with the county's child protection unit. Action: Four other child abuse-related bills also became law as a result of the 2013 Legislature: Reforms enacted?: Yes Child protection directors or workers fired or resigned?: Yes Year of action: 2013 Link: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/special-reports/9-investigates-former-dss-director-raises-concerns/nWQWc/ Link 2: |