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Last updated on Tuesday, September 18, 2018
(INDIANAPOLIS) - After months of delays, the Indiana Department of Child Services is expected to release a report Wednesday detailing the latest number of child deaths due to abuse and neglect in the state.
The Annual Report on Child Fatalities is usually published in the first half of the year. The latest report has yet to be released.
The report not only reveals the number of deaths but also the number of those children who had prior contact with the agency. The goal, according to DCS documents, is to apply painful lessons toward preventing the deaths of other children.
Throughout the year, there has been a focus on addressing flaws within Indiana's child welfare system. The former director stepped down at the end of 2017. She wrote a scathing resignation letter that stated she feared lives would be lost and families ruined if changes were not made.
Governor Eric Holcomb acted swiftly by bringing in a group to do a full assessment of the agency.
FOX59 started reaching out to DCS about the status of the fatality report back in July. Numerous emails detail repeated delays in finalizing the report. In August, a spokesperson said the report was finished but still awaiting some approval.
On Monday, DCS said the report would be released Wednesday. The move comes the same day as state senators began looking into why the report was being delayed.
A look back at the last four years of available data on child fatalities reveals an uptick in these types of cases:
The latest report would be based on data from 2016 and shed light on how such cases played out.
The interim study committee on courts and the judiciary is expected to focus on DCS issues Wednesday. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in room 431 at the statehouse.
Information FOX59, http://fox59.com
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