Agency needs to answer for lack of action — An Editorial » Our Opinion

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June 22, 2009

Agency needs to answer for lack of action — An Editorial

Anonymous The Washington Times-Herald Mon Jun 22, 2009, 10:00 AM EDT

There can be nothing sadder than the death of a child. Whether by illness or accident, a young life snuffed out in its infancy is a tragedy for all of humanity.

But the death of young Jalen Blake was no accident. As detailed in today’s front page story and continued in Monday’s paper by staff writer Nate Smith, the documented abuse of Jalen and the manner in which his case was handled by the very agency charged with protecting those who can’t protect themselves proved to be a tragic and deadly set of circumstances.

Certainly there is more than enough blame to go around in this terrible situation, from the documented pattern of abuse Jalen suffered during his short life to the negligence showed by local Department of Child Services officials in investigating said abuse. Of course, no amount of finger pointing can help Jalen now.

But more can be done than simply mourn his untimely and avoidable death. In fact, more, much more, can be done to protect Indiana’s youth. A story in last Sunday’s Indianapolis Star focused primarily on the Jalen Blake case also detailed at least 11 instances in just the last two years where Indiana children died while they or their families were involved in active or recently closed cases with the Division of Child Services.

This is a terrible and simply unacceptable record of incompetence. On the surface, such a record of failure with such tragic consequences would merit a serious and impartial investigation. Unfortunately, no such independent investigation, neither of each individual case nor of the child protection system as a whole, is currently possible.

That’s because the very state agency upon whose shoulders the protection of Indiana’s children falls — the Division of Child Services — is also the agency that investigates the Division of Child Services when mistakes occur.

Put simply, the DCS answers only to itself. In a system of government that is based on the principle of checks and balances, the DCS is its own judge and jury. While the DCS is supposed to be protecting children, no one is looking at the department to ensure that the DCS does its job. The follow up investigation in each of these 11 cases was performed by the Division of Child Services.

That is a situation that should change. Even with a perfect record of performance, no government entity with such an profound responsibility should be immune from outside oversight. Certainly, a state agency which has such a dismal record as the Division of Child Services should be subject to outside review.

Advocates for children’s safety in Indiana have long called for the appointment of an independent ombudsman to oversee the DCS, a move that is long overdue and should come to fruition as soon as possible.

In life, Jalen Blake was failed by those who abused him. He was failed by the system that could have protected him. If there is even a modicum of good that can come from this situation, it should be a reformed system of investigation and oversight which will work to prevent such tragedies in the future.

If such reforms aren’t enacted, then all of us will have failed Jalen Blake’s memory.

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