https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/02/16/prosecutors-legal-guardians-pulled-10-year-old-out-school-despite-teacher-opposition/
In this case a foster child was murdered slowly starved to death and the school, the neighborhood parents, and her biological parents where all calling and asking DHS to do a safety check.
Why are the state employees who refused to check on her not being charged with any crime? Also their names have not been released.
She was literally never checked on once she was put into foster care.
In: Other
About this specific case, while the article mentions that Geanna’s teachers and school staff were opposed to her being pulled out of school, there’s no mention of anyone calling child welfare services. Do you happen to have more information on this case?
But to answer your question more broadly, child welfare officers aren’t just sitting around twiddling their thumbs instead of remediating dangerous situations. Generally an insufficient response is due to one of two things:
* Insufficient resources and staff to quickly and thoroughly respond to every single case; or
* Legal barriers preventing action from being taken. Laws differ by state/locality, but generally, laws tend to favor rights of parents/legal guardians.
Getting back to Geanna, I see this:
>The state told Hawaii News Now that social workers don’t continue making visits once a foster child is under legal guardianship, which was the case with Geanna.
I don’t know why this is the case – perhaps Hawaii’s child welfare services are stretched too thin, and a child who has been adopted is considered a lower priority than children still in the welfare system? Or maybe once parents adopt a school-age child, the responsibility for the child’s welfare is passed on the the DOE? One way or another, it seems like there’s a push to change existing policies.
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