Scrutiny Would Improve Child-Protection System

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...Family court judges told the House Health and Welfare Committee Thursday that opening juvenile courts to more public scrutiny would improve Kentucky's child-protection system. The judges said they also support a measure to create an external review panel to examine deaths and near-deaths of abused and neglected children. Bullitt County Family Court Judge Elise Givhan Spainhour told lawmakers that Kentucky's child-protection system is stretched too thin, with not enough social workers or services to protect vulnerable children, while good child-protection workers are leaving, and those who remain are exhausted. Teresa James, acting commissioner of the Department for Community Based Services, told legislators that the department, which oversees child protection, has had to cut key services during the past three years because of budget constraints, leaving the average caseload for a social worker 18.2, slightly more than the recommended level of 17 cases per social worker. James said workloads have increased as more reporting and other paperwork requirements have been added.