Scathing Report Exposes Problems At Child Welfare Agency

Friday, August 10th 2007, 7:17 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ City workers charged with investigating child abuse and neglect reports sometimes simply took parents at their word when they denied the allegations. Sometimes they closed cases without even trying to interview people who probably had relevant information.

At least one manager doctored records _ after a child died _ to make it look as though he had been on the case more diligently than he had.

Spotlighting those problems and more, a damning new report on the city child welfare agency called for significant changes after 10 children died as a result of bungled investigations.

The city's Department of Investigation said it probed the deaths of 11 children and one who nearly drowned in an eight-month stretch beginning in October 2005. DOI said that in all the cases, the Administration for Children's Services either was investigating the parents or had completed its findings.

``In all but one of these cases, DOI has found that the investigations conducted by ACS were substantially inadequate and incomplete,'' said the 141-page report, issued Thursday.

The sharply critical report outlines a troubling pattern of lying, incompetence, carelessness and ill-trained caseworkers. It gives grim details about the children whose deaths likely could have been prevented.

``Facts were not ascertained, and children were left at risk,'' said DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn.

ACS head John B. Mattingly said the agency embraced recommendations to improve.

``As commissioner, it all rests on my shoulders,'' he said. ``This is a very tough report.''

The shocking cases include the brutal 2006 beating deaths of Nixzmary Brown, 7, and Quachaun Brown, 4, along with the death of 2-month-old Michael Segarra, who died in his crib of neglect and tested positive for cocaine at birth.

After another toddler, 16-month-old Dahquay Gillians, drowned in a bathtub on Nov. 6, 2005, an ACS manager admitted to DOI investigators that he had falsified records to make it appear he had been actively supervising the investigation, the report said. Dahquay's mother has pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide.

One of the child's relatives said she hoped the report would spur action.

``It's sad that they are letting children die,'' Latisha Bond, Dahquay's cousin, told the New York Post.

The same manager was also responsible for supervising the unit investigating allegations that Nixzmary was being beaten.

ACS suspended the manager on Dec. 9, 2005, and forwarded information about his conduct to Brooklyn prosecutors. ACS said it had taken disciplinary action against 14 employees, including firing a caseworker in the Nixzmary case.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the 18-month DOI investigation in January 2006 amid widespread concern about ACS's ability to properly investigate and respond to abuse allegations, the report said.

In response, the agency said it has drastically increased the number of caseworkers and reduced each worker's caseload from 22 to 11. Important personnel changes have been made, Mattingly said.

Asked whether he should step down, Mattingly replied, ``The mayor will let me know any time that he feels I'm not carrying out what I promised him I would do when I came in August 2004, and I will be here as long as he wants me.''

Mattingly said ACS has investigated more than 63,000 abuse and neglect reports in 2006, up from 48,000 the previous year. ACS officials expect that number to reach 61,000 by the end of this year.

``In child protection, there is no quick fix, no silver bullet,'' Mattingly said. ``We have made progress ... but we are by no means done.''

ACS also has hired 20 investigative consultants with law enforcement experience and plans to bring on 100 more. Hearn said the intention is to have one investigative consultant per 15 caseworkers.