Report criticizes state’s handling of abused, neglected kids

Friday, April 23, 2004 | 11:04 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A federal report says Nevada is not providing adequate care and services to neglected and abused children, and if the state Division of Child Care and Family Services does not correct the problems, the state could lose up to $600,000 in federal funds.

A summary of the preliminary inspection by the U.S. Children's Bureau was presented Thursday to the Legislative Committee on Children, Youth and Families.

The federal team that inspected the state's services in February said Nevada keeps children for too long in temporary shelters before placing them in foster homes. It also criticized the state for using the unlicensed Child Haven facility in Las Vegas to provide shelter.

It said that "reports of repeat maltreatment/abuse are received but folded together into one report of allegations."

And the division prematurely closes abuse cases involving children, the team said.

The federal inspectors also wrote that there is a statewide lack of legal representation for these children.

"Legal representation for children and for biological parents is not currently available throughout the state," the federal team said and added this was "the weakest part of Nevada's system."

"Backlogs in termination of parental rights cases seriously delay permanency (placement in permanent home-settings) for children," the report noted.

Jone Bosworth, administrator of the state division, said it is already working on a plan to make improvements and will submit it at the end of June.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, a committee member, said it seems ironic that the federal government would fine Nevada when the system needs more money. She said she joined with other lawmakers who are urging the division to seek additional funding from the 2005 Legislature.

State Human Resources Director Mike Willden said today the federal government will not impose sanctions as long as the state makes improvements in the system. He said there have been two meetings to draft a correction plan.

The final report from the federal government is not due until the end of May. The state will then have 90 days to submit its improvement recommendations.

Willden said the federal government now realizes it doesn't make sense to take money away from states that need federal funds to make improvements, and as long as states take corrective action, the federal government will withhold penalties, he said.

The report, Leslie said, shows Nevada in the bottom tier of states in meeting federal standards in child welfare. The federal team said it found "challenges" in the division's information system.

There is an inability to correct errors, and a lack of racial demographic data. Those shortcomings create "a barrier to case manager effectiveness and managerial reports being generated. Case managers currently have to 'live with errors."'

The inspection, which lasted one week, was conducted by 46 federal officials at two Las Vegas sites and at single offices in Carson City and Reno. The inspection team reviewed 50 families' case records and talked to more than 200 people during its investigation.

Inspectors said the child welfare system in Nevada is fragmented. The standards in Clark, Washoe and the rural counties differ so much that they are like "three different states -- no, three different countries," the report notes.

There were some bright spots, however. The federal team cited the emphasis that the division puts on placing neglected or abused children with relatives or siblings. And children are "almost always placed in close proximity to their biological families," the report said, noting that the division is able to preserve the child's connection to the community and to the school and that the physical needs of the children are usually met.