Editorial: Truly caring for children

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

Many children who come under the care of the county after being abused or neglected at home are not finding the level of security and support that would mean a turnaround in their lives.

For years the Clark County Department of Family Services has been falling behind a little more each year as rapid population growth brought hundreds of extra cases but few extra resources.

Today the department, particularly its Child Protective Services division, is so overwhelmed that many children under its care remain victims of neglect, sometimes with tragic consequences.

More than a dozen children since 2001 have died while in county custody. For many other children their misery has continued while under the county's watch, as staff shortages and an insufficient number of foster homes have kept them from receiving adequate services in many areas.

Today there is an opportunity for the Clark County Commission to reverse this shameful trend. Nationally known child-care expert Thomas Morton became director of the Department of Family Services in July. This week Morton presented the County Commission with a thorough report containing dozens of recommendations for overcoming the department's numerous inadequacies.

The balanced report noted improvements made by the county using funds largely within the department's existing budget. Its overall recommendation, however, and one we agree with, is that the county must substantially increase the department's funding - by $30 million or more.

The extra money could extend the county's service by adding a badly needed night shift of social workers. And it could mean, finally, adequate staff for the department's crisis hot line, its foster care program, its investigative teams and numerous other services that look after a child's legal, educational and physical well-being.

Such a budget would mean drawing money from other county services. But it would be hard to argue that there is another county priority higher than turning around the lives of abused and neglected children.