The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Children and Family Services" ...
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Violent Felon Went Unnoticed
In this breaking news report, LaForgia, Roldan and Playford deployed great investigative skills to report on the murder of two young children who died at the hands of a felon that went unnoticed by the Department of Children and Family.
Tags: breaking news; felon; social services
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Children In Crisis
“Kentucky leads the nation in its rate of children who die from neglect or abuse”. Many people missed the warning signs of abuse and these include social workers, family members, health professionals, and day care workers. Another factor into the problem was budget cuts, which wear down a system meant to protect children.
Tags: kids; child welfare; authorities; maltreatment; violence; Health and Family Services; Child Protective Services; programs
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"Innocents Betrayed"
More than 250 children under the watch of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services died during the span of 19 months. The Times found that most of the deaths spurred little investigation even though many "involved faulty case management."
Tags: Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services; child services; child abuse
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Failing the Children: Deadly Mistakes
"In May 2007, authorities found 7-year old Chandler Grafner starved to death in a closet. He showed signs of long-term abuse. His guardians, Jon Phillips and Sarah Berry, were convicted of murder. In covering the story, KMGH-TV investigative reporter John Ferrugia attempted to determine the extent of the the Denver Department of Human Services' involvement with the family... Ferrugia and the KMGH investigative team consistently obtained internal documents to expose a system fraught with incompetence, lack of oversight, poor management and ineffective training... In short, a system that left children at risk."
Tags: Department of Human Services; child welfare; child protective services; child abuse; neglect
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Day-care dangers; DCFS: Guilty until proven innocent; DCFS Declassified
The series focused on how the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services protects children and found problems, including a state law with wording so flawed it couldn't work, major errors in investigating alleged child abuse that ended up accusing innocent parents and repeated errors in the investigation of a murdered boy.
Tags: children; DCFS; Kalab Lay; custody; child abuse; sex offender
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Hidden Violations
Illinois is the second to last state in "the rate at which it suspends or revokes teaching certificates." Often reports of misconduct are not acted upon or investigated. Its screening system is also flawed and "has repeatedly allowed convicted sex offenders and other violent felons to be certified to teach."
Tags: teaching; certified teacher; Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; Illinois State Board of Education; sex offenders; criminals; abuse; felons; certificate
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Bury Your Mistakes
In 2003, "a string of blunders by Philadelphia's child welfare system were blamed for failing to prevent the torture-murder of a toddler." In 2006, the Inquirer reported that "young children are still regularly abused to death under the supervision of the Department of Human Services." The department had failed to act on recommendations it had solicited after the 2003 incident, and "at least 25 children have died of abuse or neglect after their families had come to the attention of DHS, including 10 in 2005." Yet the reviews of these cases are secret, and as one expert said, this allows child welfare officials to "Bury Their Mistakes." Three cases were looked at for the Inquirer's investigation: two-year-old Alayiah Turmen, "pummled to death after she interrupted a video game," 11-week-old Marrieon Currie, "who was doused in hot water and thrown down stairs," and 2-year-old Bryanna Redmond, "who died froma punch that split her spine."
Tags: Department of Human Services; Alayiah Turman; Bryanna Redmond; Marrieon Currie; child abuse; child murder; child endangerment
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Little Court of Horrors
This investigation examined how well juvenile courts handle child protection matters and how the children, whose plight has just recently become a matter of public record, are faring. The investigation found that the reform intended to strengthen the state's child protection system has dramatically increased the rate at which children are being taken from their parents ---permanently. The law was intended to fast-track cases, but it does not allow the time or provide the services families need to address the matters that landed them in court to begin with.
Tags: child abuse; child court; foster care; sunshine law; open records; social services
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Kids in Crisis: When the State Steps In
This documentary examines the process behind court ordered forcible removal of children from their families. It covers exchanges between social workers, police, parents, children and judges and follows the real-life court intervention of an Indiana family. Cameras follow the forcible removal of children from their home in the middle of the night.
Tags: child welfare; social services; family court; police; families; children
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A Failure to Protect: Maryland's Troubled Group Homes
About 2,700 youths live in 330 privately-run group homes in Maryland. Although the state licenses, funds and supposedly regulates the homes, it fails to adequately protect the interests of children or of the taxpayers who are paying for their care. Children suffer abuse and neglect in the absence of strong state oversight. Regulators often license unqualified operators and then rely largely on them to police themselves. Some owners collect high salaries, enjoy expensive perks and reward friends and relatives with lucrative jobs or contracts, all paid for by the state.
Tags: group homes; Department of Human Resources; Evershine Residential Services; Social Services; bureaucracy; Office for Children; Youth and Families; children