Gov. Peter Shumlin says the state needs to do a better job protecting children who live in abusive families.
Shumlin says the number of child abuse investigations has doubled since 2008, and he unveiled a four-point plan to deal with the growing crisis.
"In both the cases of Dezirae [Sheldon] and Peighton [Geraw], we as a state have failed." - Gov. Peter Shumlin speaking about the two toddlers whose deaths this winter have been ruled homicides
The governor says his administration is aggressively dealing with this issue on a number of fronts following the deaths of two toddlers this winter.
“In both the cases of Dezirae and Peighton, we as a state have failed,” said Shumlin.
Dezirae Sheldon and Peighton Geraw both died from alleged child abuse despite being in contact with caseworkers from the Department of Children and Families.
Shumlin says his recommendations are not a specific response to these cases but are influenced by the general nature of these tragedies.
The governor says it’s important to recognize that DCF is now dealing with an increasing number of abuse cases where one or both of the parents are addicted to opiates.
“Dysfunctional families whose challenges are compounded by addiction and who do things to their kids that frankly most of us would never have contemplated were it not for substance abuse,” said Shumlin. “How do we use our resources more wisely to heighten the likelihood that we succeed in these very, very difficult cases.”
Shumlin called for a top to bottom review of the department to see if organizational changes can better protect children. He also proposed new training programs for DCF employees.
Shumlin says most department workers are responsible for too many cases so he’s hiring 18 additional people to be part of this program. And in a major policy change, Shumlin is requiring the approval of a department supervisor before an abused child is reunited with their parents. He says that’s currently not the case.
“I am now saying as governor that is not wise,” said Shumlin. “Let’s go forward to increasing our odds of success in very vulnerable situations of simply saying once the recommendation has been for reunification a supervisor at central Office must also review that case before the decision is made.”
DCF Commissioner David Yacavone says it’s important for the public to understand that caseworkers have legal restrictions when they encounter evidence of child abuse
“If a staff person is alone and it’s very clear to them that a child is in harm’s way and not safe, the courts are available on a 24/7 basis and we contact the Court, act and move to get a temporary removal of the child,” said Yacavone. “If the staff person is accompanied by a police officer, the police officer has that authority. Staff on our own do not have the authority to remove children.”
Yacavone says staffing is also an issue in the department’s central office. In 2008, he says the office had 96 employees but that number has dropped to 66 because of budget pressures brought on by the recession.
