Wex Wimpy
September 2nd 03, 05:41 PM
DCF chief defends agency's response to abuse cases
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
Jerry Regier, a week away from his first anniversary as secretary of
the Florida Department of Children & Families, is defending his
agency's efforts to reduce what was a staggering backlog of unresolved
child abuse complaints, saying DCF had left no child's life in
jeopardy.
Earlier this week, The Herald reported that the drive to reduce the
backlog of open abuse reports may have left thousands of children ''at
risk of harm,'' according to an internal review by DCF.
In a strongly worded statement, Regier said the project -- which
reduced the backlog of open cases from 30,000 reports to about
2,000 in less than a year -- was conducted appropriately and
thoroughly. Regier said no children were left in harm's way.
(which was a lie see Review: DCF cases were closed too early at
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/trib_local_news/article/0,1651,TCP_1107_2221089,00.html
)
''Ensuring that allegations of abuse and neglect are investigated
quickly and thoroughly is a critical aspect of our work,'' Regier
wrote in the statement. ``The implication that recent backlog
reduction was done in an inappropriate manner and left thousands of
children at risk of harm is simply not true and quite frankly
offensive to our staff who worked diligently to close those cases
while ensuring child safety.''
Internal DCF records show that, among a representative sample of 2,682
of the closed cases, 13.6 percent statewide appeared to leave children
''at risk of harm'' or made it impossible to determine from the
paperwork whether the children were safe.
The review said that in some cases -- though not a large number --
``children appeared to be in imminent danger of severe maltreatment.''
Records show the DCF districts that include Miami, Key West and West
Palm Beach posted some of the worst investigative casework. About 33
percent of the cases closed in Palm Beach County may have left
children at risk; about 17 percent in Miami-Dade and Monroe were
closed improperly.
In his statement, Regier said that in many of the cases in which
children appeared to be at risk, ``District management found that
appropriate casework had occurred, however the documentation in the
file was lacking.''
''Rather than proof of inaction, discovering these issues simply
proves that the process works,'' he said.
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
Jerry Regier, a week away from his first anniversary as secretary of
the Florida Department of Children & Families, is defending his
agency's efforts to reduce what was a staggering backlog of unresolved
child abuse complaints, saying DCF had left no child's life in
jeopardy.
Earlier this week, The Herald reported that the drive to reduce the
backlog of open abuse reports may have left thousands of children ''at
risk of harm,'' according to an internal review by DCF.
In a strongly worded statement, Regier said the project -- which
reduced the backlog of open cases from 30,000 reports to about
2,000 in less than a year -- was conducted appropriately and
thoroughly. Regier said no children were left in harm's way.
(which was a lie see Review: DCF cases were closed too early at
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/trib_local_news/article/0,1651,TCP_1107_2221089,00.html
)
''Ensuring that allegations of abuse and neglect are investigated
quickly and thoroughly is a critical aspect of our work,'' Regier
wrote in the statement. ``The implication that recent backlog
reduction was done in an inappropriate manner and left thousands of
children at risk of harm is simply not true and quite frankly
offensive to our staff who worked diligently to close those cases
while ensuring child safety.''
Internal DCF records show that, among a representative sample of 2,682
of the closed cases, 13.6 percent statewide appeared to leave children
''at risk of harm'' or made it impossible to determine from the
paperwork whether the children were safe.
The review said that in some cases -- though not a large number --
``children appeared to be in imminent danger of severe maltreatment.''
Records show the DCF districts that include Miami, Key West and West
Palm Beach posted some of the worst investigative casework. About 33
percent of the cases closed in Palm Beach County may have left
children at risk; about 17 percent in Miami-Dade and Monroe were
closed improperly.
In his statement, Regier said that in many of the cases in which
children appeared to be at risk, ``District management found that
appropriate casework had occurred, however the documentation in the
file was lacking.''
''Rather than proof of inaction, discovering these issues simply
proves that the process works,'' he said.