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 "child neglect" ...
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The System Failed Us
A young boy's abuse-related death could have been prevented, according to this investigation. The author finds that more than 25 percent of doctors who believe a child's injuries are abuse-related choose not to report them to child protective services.
Tags: child protective services; Department of Child Protective Services; child abuse; child neglect; pediatrician
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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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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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A Girl's Life
The single 7,500-word story chronicled the life and death of Acia Johnson, a South Boston girl who seemed to be doing everything right: getting good grades in school, becoming a standout basketball player with a chance at a scholarship to go to a good high school and taking care of her younger sister. That was until her house was set ablaze last April in what authorities said was a jealous rage by her mother's lover. Acia burned to death along with her three-year-old sister in her third-floor bedroom closet. Her mother stood, safe, on the ground with the family dog. Her father was in jail. It was the last in a long list of instances of neglect recounted in the story. Anyone could have saved her life--her parents, drug addicts and sometimes violent petty criminals who never managed to get straight' neighbors who knew about the violent family fights and often didn't call police; friends who did nothing though thought it unusual that Acia was left to care for her sister while their parents were out running thr streets; social workers who had declared Acia's parents unfit in 2003 and placed her in the custody of her grandmother but who never figured out that she was still living with her mother. They didn't figure it out even though they frequently visited Acia at her mother's house, including two days before the fire. They didn't figure it out even though her mother reported Acia was living with her when she applied for housing subsidies, food stamps and cash assistance. And they didn't figure it out even though her mother's house was listed as Acia's primary residence at her middle school.
Tags: social workers; arson; child death; neglect; custody; Boston
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A History of Neglect
The series investigated whether the promise of "child welfare experts and politicians in New York" made 20 years ago to improve their assistance from black and Latino children had been kept. They found that they hadn't. Instead many agencies had poor records of success.
Tags: child welfare; minority agencies; St. Christopher's Inc.; Miracle Makers; foster care; Hispanic; Latino; black; African American
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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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Preying on Parents
A California-based international adoption firm is found to be defrauding prospective parents, taking advantage of "legal loopholes and government neglect." The story involves bribes and kickbacks to foreign government officials, the use of internet fraud on prospective parents, and "the withholding of vital medical information about orphans to misstate their health." In some cases, the children adopted through the agency had such severe medical conditions or other issues, and were institutionalized or sent home to their native countries. Meanwhile, "the company ignored complaints and pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees."
Tags: Adoption; former Soviet Union; child adoption; fraud; Internet adoption agency; orphans; medical problems
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Target 12 Child Watch: Uncovering Daycare Violations
WPRI-TV investigates reported incidents where young children had been "wandering away from daycare centers" and "children being left sleeping on school buses." They looked into the frequency of these incidents to examine how safe daycare centers are, and inform parents on how to find out more about their child's daycare center. They uncovered cases of abuse and neglect, with unsupervised children finding themselves in harm's way. They also found that 21 of the 59 daycare centers they examined "were in violation of staff to child ratios," 18 of 59 "violated hand-washing procedures," and 15 "had fire safety issues."
Tags: Child care; daycare; unsupervised children; child endangerment; child neglect
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Innocence Lost
The story concerned the short life of Evelyn Miller, a young girl found slain after she disappeared from her home near Floyd,IA. The investigation revealed a life of neglect, including being overlooked by the Department of Human Resources. The reporters also investigated the extensive search for the girl in the days that followed her disappearance.
Tags: child pornography; neglect; child abuse; FOIA; drugs; parental rights
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Failed by the System
In at least 30 cases since July 1, 1999, children in Oklahoma have died from abuse or neglect even though the state Department of Human Services had previous reports they were being abused. In many cases, there were numerous prior reports of abuse but the state failed to remove the children and they ended up dying. During that time, the state paid at least $1 million to settle lawsuits involving child welfare workers.
Tags: child abuse; child neglect; Department of Human Services; child welfare