Attorney Expresses Frustration Toward Child Welfare

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...Jon Fleischaker, an attorney for the Kentucky Press Association, expressed frustration to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee Wednesday, while accusing the cabinet of ignoring both federal law and state rulings. Fleischaker said welfare records of children who died or were injured from abuse while in state care should be open to allow for greater transparency. He said the cabinet refused to provide The Todd County Standard documents about an investigation into the death of 9 year old Amy Dye because it claimed there were no such records, but the cabinet later showed up with three or four inches of documents after Attorney General Jack Conway's office said there had to be records and that they must be made public. Fleischaker said federal law requires that, in cases in which there is death or injury involving children in the custody or supervision of the cabinet, those records must be made public. Fleischaker also said the cabinet claims it needs confidentiality to protect children, but it hasn't protected the children.