| April 29, 2008 Child abuse reporting comes under fire in Mass.
|
(Katie Daly, NECN: Worcester, Mass.) - Christina page appeared in Dudley district court Monday
Over the weekend she allegedly left three of her children home for nearly an hour. During that time a fire started and the children were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. A new report suggests that the Massachusetts department of social services might withhold information in cases like this.
It gave the Bay State a D-minus when it came to protecting children from abuse. The children's advocacy institute and first star commissioned the study, which says the state, doesn't adequately disclose information regarding fatal or life threatening child abuse cases.
Susan Cunningham is an Administrator and lecturer of sociology.
She says the report highlights the immediate need for change.
“We shouldn't miss this opportunity to look at what we are doing wrong, what we could do better and redirecting the train....the train is going off the tracks”
Cunningham blames the problem partly on inexperienced social workers.
“What they do is make life and death decisions everyday and their deciding was there abuse in this situation should this child be left in the home or removed from the home”
When abuse or neglect lead to a child's death or near death, a states interest in confidentiality becomes secondary to interests of taxpayers, advocates and either children who would be better served by maximum transparency.
NECN’s
Play video
