Posted: Jan. 5, 2009
A bill that state Sen. Alberta Darling said she will introduce would require more information be made public on children killed or seriously injured in foster care. The state Legislature should approve it or other similar measures so that public confidence shaken by the brutal death recently of 13-month-old Christopher Thomas Jr. while in foster care can be restored.
The River Hills Republican and Sen. Robert Jauch (D-Poplar), chairman of the Senate Committee on Children and Families and Workforce Development, told the Journal Sentinel's Gina Barton that more transparency and accountability is needed within the state's child welfare system. This follows the death of Christopher and the abuse of his 2-year-old sister. An aunt has been charged in the case.
Darling will pursue transparency and accountability through her bill. Jauch said he will hold hearings with the goal of achieving these as well.
Barton's article explained that under current law, child welfare officials provide information to the Legislature and the public if they are suspicious about the cause of a child's death or injury. Otherwise, nothing but the most basic information is released, not even the cause of death.
Disclosure generally comes when someone is charged or if the information already has been revealed by the courts, law enforcement or the child's family.
For weeks after Christopher's death in November, very little information was provided, outraging the public. Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families said their hands were tied by state privacy laws. Reggie Bicha, secretary of the department of Children and Families, called the secrecy provisions "terribly frustrating."
The public was frustrated as well. If basic information isn't made available, citizens cannot be blamed for being skeptical about the agency's accountability.
Darling's proposal would make more information available, including the cause of death, age, gender and race of the child. Details about the family's involvement with child welfare also would be made public. This might not be all that is needed, but it's a good start.
Foster children and their families have a right to privacy. But that right should not allow secrecy, which is the enemy of useful public discussion. It is only through transparency and public dialogue that laws can be changed to protect our most vulnerable children.