Child Homicides Increase; CPS Touts Change (Sacramento County)

Child Homicides Increase; CPS Touts Change
Sacramento County Agency Draws Criticism In Three Separate Reports

POSTED: 5:52 pm PDT June 2, 2009
UPDATED: 6:53 pm PDT June 2, 2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A Sacramento County review team found a 300 percent increase in child abuse and neglect homicides between 2007 and 2008.

A report released Tuesday from the Child Death Review Team showed that three children died of child abuse or neglect in 2007. In 2008, that number skyrocketed to 12 children.

Sacramento County Child Protective Services has been criticized in public reports by an independent auditor, the grand jury and now the review team. All three reports outlined more than 100 recommendations for change.

"We're taking those recommendations very seriously. We've appreciated the guidance, the pointing into the areas of our agency where we need to relook and make improvement," said CPS Director Laura Coulthard.

Among the improvements, CPS is installing a new telephone system to record all incoming calls to the Child Abuse Hotline. The hot line receives more than 56,000 calls annually.

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http://www.kcra.com/news/19639372/detail.html

Sacramento Bee.

Their coverage just literally made you cry.