State Ordered To Release Child-Death Records

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...Wednesday, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ordered the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to produce 90 internal reviews of social workers' files on children who have been killed or nearly killed as a result of abuse and neglect. Shepherd gave the Cabinet 10 days to comply with the order. Attorneys for the Cabinet told Judge Shepherd that they were hiring temporary staff to redact more than 180 case files involving children who died or nearly died of abuse and neglect. Once redacted, those records will be made available. Shepherd says the purpose of making these records open is not to assess blame to individuals who work at the cabinet, but the child-death records will help legislators who craft policy and the public know what the issues are and how they can help improve the system. The records provoked a lengthy legal battle between the cabinet and the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Louisville Courier-Journal. On November 3rd, Shepherd ruled that the Herald-Leader and Courier-Journal were entitled to the requested records.