Thanks to Just Rose for the link.
http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news...an-double-in-past-4-years-many-on-dcf-s-radar
http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news...an-double-in-past-4-years-many-on-dcf-s-radar
It’s been two years since the remains of Judy Conway’s grandson were found in a livestock pen.
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After years of abuse, Adrian Jones, 7, died at the hands of his dad and stepmom in 2015.
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Child abuse death cases double over 4-year span
The 41 Action News investigators analyzed data from the Kansas Child Death Review Board.
Since 2012, the number of children who’ve died as a result of child abuse has steadily increased each year and more than doubled by 2015.
In 2015, the latest year data is available, 14 children in Kansas died as a result of child abuse.
Of those 14, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) had involvement with eight of the families.
In 2014, data from the review board show 29 children were murdered that year. Per the data, 10 of those children died from abuse. DCF had involvement with 13 of these 29 families.
In 2013, there were 17 children killed. Eight died from child abuse. DCF had involvement with 10 of these families.
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In May, after revealing the horrific details that led up to Adrian’s death, the 41 Action News Investigators obtained Adrian’s 2,000-page file from DCF.
Adrian’s abuse was not a secret.
Social workers and police had documented the little boy’s abuse for years.
Pictures taken by authorities show a black eye and various markings on the little boy’s body over the course of his life.
Adrian even told state employees his parents were abusing him.
Since Adrian’s death, countless people from all across the country, many of whom refer to themselves as, “Adrian’s Warriors,” have written letters to state leaders asking for an investigation into DCF.
Over the past six months, the 41 Action News investigators have requested several interviews with Phyllis Gilmore, the secretary of DCF, but each request was denied.
It was announced in November that Gilmore would retire on Dec. 1 amid scrutiny of the department.
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The Kansas Child Death Review Board looks at each case in which a child dies in the state of Kansas.
However, it’s not independent from DCF, and the reports are two years behind.
This year, lawmakers implemented the Child Welfare System Task Force to examine the issues surrounding DCF.
However, state Sen. Laura Kelly said, DCF doesn't always give the task force complete or accurate information.
Kelly also said DCF does not have to give the task force files of children who have died and had a history with DCF.
So, there's no way to know if protocol was followed.
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If state lawmakers can’t hold DCF accountable, the 41 Action News Investigators wanted to know who could.
When looking at the rest of the country, we found that 11 states, including Missouri, have a Children’s Ombudsman Office to serve as an independent watchdog overseeing protective services.
If protective services had involvement with a child who dies, the ombudsman is required to conduct a review of the child's case.
It can then determine if social workers conducted proper investigations in cases where children were abused to death.
As a result of its findings, the ombudsman can implement additional training for social workers and prompt changes in policies.
In Missouri, if someone complains that a child is being abused and social services are not appropriately following up on the case, the ombudsman can step in and remove the child from the home if necessary.
However, Kansas, has no such office.
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Because so little is known about how DCF handles cases where children in the system are killed, it's not clear what, if anything, is being done to prevent another child from suffering.
In May, Dianne Keech, a former deputy director for DCF broke her silence to the 41 Action News Investigators, saying she quit because the agency was more focused on protecting its image than protecting children.
"It's hard to admit that what you've built is a death machine for kids," Keech said. "There are children dying. We are not doing what we need to do."
Keech also said an attorney for DCF advised staff to keep mistakes made within the agency out of the public's reach.
"If we took hand written notes, we were instructed to shred them afterwards," Keech said.
Kelly said she questioned DCF about Keech's claims that staff was asked to shred notes during a task force meeting earlier in November.
"I got no answer," Kelly said.
However, in a previous report from 41 Action News, DCF denied Keech's claims.
Kelly said an ombudsman office could be an option for the state of Kansas, but nothing would be implemented until 2019, upon the arrival of a new administration.
In January a vote on Adrian's Act, a bill that would strengthen child abuse reporting laws, is expected.
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