INDIANAPOLIS —
Eight years after Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels made child welfare a campaign issue, the Democrat running to replace him is doing the same.
At a press conference Monday, former House Speaker John Gregg accused the Daniels administration of falling short on promises to protect children from abuse and neglect and said some of the reforms that had been put into place were no longer working because of budget cuts.
“We’ve got to make children a priority in this state,” Gregg said. “We’ve seen tragedy after tragedy ... it’s clear Indiana’s children need more support.”
Gregg and his running mate, state Sen. Vi Simpson of Ellettsville, were sharply critical of the $200 million in budget cuts made to the state’s Department of Child Services during fiscal years 2009 through 2011.
The agency was ordered by the Daniels administration to revert the money back to the general fund as a “surplus” when state revenues were crashing downward because of the recession. Other state agencies were turning back money as well.
“It is wrong, in fact it is dang near reprehensible to me, when people have children getting hurt, falling through the cracks, not getting the care they needed and at the same standpoint we have this agency saying, ‘Oh, we’ve got a surplus’ and they keep sending it back,” Gregg said. “We need to focus on preventive services that can help families stay together.”
Gregg and Simpson said that if elected they’d push for money to support adoption services to reduce the time children are spending in foster care; reinstate preventative mental health services for families with children who are at-risk of neglect or abuse; and create an Office of the Child Advocate to review cases where the system failed to protect children.
Gregg cited the case of a Greensburg boy, Devin Parsons, who was beaten to death on the same day that the Department of Child Services closed its investigations alleging the boy was a victim of neglect and abuse. Gregg said there have been similar cases where children had died after the department had failed to step in.
Department spokeswoman Stephanie McFarland declined to respond to Gregg’s statements, saying it was not appropriate for the agency to comment on political speech. But she did remind reporters that the number of child protection caseworkers is double what it was when Daniels first took office and that the amount of money the state spends overall on training those caseworkers has also gone up significantly.
Eight years ago, then-candidate Daniels targeted Indiana’s child protection system for harsh criticism after federal investigators found that Indiana — along with 15 other states — had failed to meet a single federal standard for child safety and protection.
At the time, Indiana had one of the worst death rates from child abuse and neglect; it was double the national average.
When Daniels came into office, he added an additional 800 caseworkers to handle child abuse and neglect cases and pushed through a series of reforms that centralized child protection services and removed it from what had been a fractured, county-level delivery system.
It’s been a point of pride for him that the number of children who have died because of abuse or neglect dropped more by 50 percent (from 57 deaths to 25 deaths) within five years of making those changes.
But Democrats haven’t given him much credit for those changes. Earlier this year, state House and Senate Democrats called for an investigation of the Department of Child Services amid a series of newspaper reports sharply critical of the department’s screening procedures.
Daniels dismissed the criticism at the time, saying it obscured the progress the state had made in protecting at-risk children. The Associated Press reported that Daniels accused Democrats of “grandstanding” and said the media had misrepresented the issue.
The Indiana General Assembly, though, agreed to establish a legislative study committee to review how the Department of Child Services is working. The committee is expected to start meeting later this summer and into the fall, just as the political campaign season heats up. The study committee will submit a report to the Legislature’s Health Finance Commission, which may contain recommendations for change.
Maureen Hayden covers the Statehouse for the CNHI newspapers in Indiana. She can be reached at maureen.hayden@indianamediagroup.com.
State News
Related Photos
-
John Gregg, Democratic candidate for governor, talks to the media at the UAW in Anderson during a campaign stop in Madison County. Don Knight
Reader comments
State’s child protection services becomes part of campaign agenda
- State News
-
-
Report: State is both ‘leader and laggard’
A newly released report card on where Indiana ranks nationally in key economic measures shows the state is both “a leader and a laggard” in areas that signal potential for more prosperity.
-
Indiana’s high school grad rate continues upward
Indiana’s reported high school graduation rate continues to improve, moving from 77 percent to more than 88 percent in less than a decade, but there are still significant achievement gaps marked by race and income.
-
Schools chief Ritz on fast learning curve
For many occupants of the Indiana Statehouse, the week after the General Assembly wraps up its final frenzy of work is a quiet one. But not for Glenda Ritz.
-
Out of office, Lugar shuns retirement
One year ago, Indiana’s longest serving U.S. senator was rejected by Republican primary voters and forced into an unwelcome retirement from a distinguished political career that spanned 46 years. But at 81, former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar is hardly in a resting mode.
-
Lugar wary of Syria involvement
Former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar has been out of office since early January, but he’s still being sought after for his opinion about foreign policy matters he once helped shape.
-
Budget deal includes little funding for criminal code reform
Facing the end-of-session deadline, Indiana legislators moved forward on a bill to overhaul the state’s criminal sentencing laws but left undone the issue of where local communities will get the money to implement it.
-
Legislators closing in on final budget
In his first four months as the chief budget maker in the Indiana House, Republican Rep. Tim Brown hasn’t been surprised by the long hours, multiple demands and intense debate that goes with crafting a $30 billion spending plan.
-
New poll shows voters tepid on Pence tax plan
With just days to go before the deadline for a final budget bill, a new independent poll shows Republican Gov. Mike Pence may not have gotten much mileage for his travels around the state pitching his 10 percent tax cut plan.
-
DOC hopes ‘cold case’ cards lead to solved cases
Indiana state prison officials are using customized playing cards for a deadly serious purpose: To help unlock the mysteries of unsolved murders and persons gone missing.
-
Indiana attorney general says Congress must act on immigration reform
Amidst concerns that the Boston Marathon bombing may derail federal action on comprehensive immigration reform, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is turning up some collective heat on Congress to move ahead.
-
Report: State is both ‘leader and laggard’
Texas Students Coach Teachers on Fitness
New Forecasting Tool Eyed for Hurricane Season
Meet MJ, the Bike Riding Tabby Cat
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
Okla. Teens Get Video of Deadly Tornado Overhead
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
School Storm Protection Spotty in Tornado Zones
9-year-old Tornado Victim Loved Family, Singing
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Okla. City Mayor: Up to 13K Homes Hit by Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Paperless Scanner, Vision of the Future
Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links
Garcetti Elected Los Angeles Mayor Over Greuel
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
