Faith
02-17-2009, 10:28 PM
Legislative Audit Recommends Improvements at DFS
Updated: Feb 17, 2009 08:10 PM
A legislative audit says the Clark County Department of Family Services is not to blame for the deaths of 35 children involved in the child welfare system. But it does say improvements should be made in the system to better protect kids.
During an 18 month period beginning in July of 2007, 35 children under the protection of Clark County's child welfare system died, seven of them from abuse and neglect.
Many are names you know, like Jason Rimer, found dead in his family's SUV. The auditor notes years of prior abuse and neglect accusations against his family, only two of which were substantiated.
The audit recommended additional oversight of investigations involving families with a history of unsubstantiated abuse.
The second case was the alleged beating death of Zander Martino by his dad. A few weeks before he died, Zander was returned to his father's custody by the courts despite a recent report of abuse. The audit found the case file is so incomplete that it's unclear as to whether the District Attorney and the judge had accurate information about that investigation.
The audit recommended developing procedures to better communicate with the courts.
The last case involves the murder of Nicole Yegge, a teenage runaway in the custody of DFS. The audit found the agency did not comply with its runaway procedures, including waiting six weeks to report her to the National Center for Missing Children.
The auditor recommends new procedures to streamline communication with local law enforcement and to ensure missing persons reports are filed quickly.
The county agrees with the findings and has already implemented one of the recommendations. The other two are in the works.
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=9861658&nav=menu102_2
Updated: Feb 17, 2009 08:10 PM
A legislative audit says the Clark County Department of Family Services is not to blame for the deaths of 35 children involved in the child welfare system. But it does say improvements should be made in the system to better protect kids.
During an 18 month period beginning in July of 2007, 35 children under the protection of Clark County's child welfare system died, seven of them from abuse and neglect.
Many are names you know, like Jason Rimer, found dead in his family's SUV. The auditor notes years of prior abuse and neglect accusations against his family, only two of which were substantiated.
The audit recommended additional oversight of investigations involving families with a history of unsubstantiated abuse.
The second case was the alleged beating death of Zander Martino by his dad. A few weeks before he died, Zander was returned to his father's custody by the courts despite a recent report of abuse. The audit found the case file is so incomplete that it's unclear as to whether the District Attorney and the judge had accurate information about that investigation.
The audit recommended developing procedures to better communicate with the courts.
The last case involves the murder of Nicole Yegge, a teenage runaway in the custody of DFS. The audit found the agency did not comply with its runaway procedures, including waiting six weeks to report her to the National Center for Missing Children.
The auditor recommends new procedures to streamline communication with local law enforcement and to ensure missing persons reports are filed quickly.
The county agrees with the findings and has already implemented one of the recommendations. The other two are in the works.
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=9861658&nav=menu102_2