WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD

2 year-old-girl murdered by mother under the eye of social services
Current mood: pissed off

How is it that the news is constantly covering random things like Hilary crying boosted her points but they dont mention anything about a government agency faulting on their job resulting in the death of a baby. States services were being provided to the childs family for the childs safety and yet after numerous reports of abuse the agency did not remove the child from the home. Not that I am an advocate for taking children from their homes, but this is clearly a case where that should have happened, especially considering the childs older sisters had been taken away on many occasions. How is it that in 2008 we still cannot protect the children in our cities , the innocents, the ones who we speak for. This is so heart breaking and disturbing. The supervisor of the agency received a demotion for not doing her job of protection this child, and as a result the child lost her life. Where is the justice in that? If you cant do the job necessary than there should be a more sever punishment then just a demotion.

What do you think???? is her punishment just?? the partial article is below with the full article at www.AFRO.com


State office calls for probe of DSS in death of 2-year-old

Thursday, January 10, 2008


By Ernest Alexander
AFRO Staff Writer



Would little 2-year-old Bryanna Harris still be alive if the Department of Social Services had done its job?



Why didn't the agency take her away from her neglectful mother like they did the woman's other children?



That's what Brenda Donald, secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources and members of the child's family want to know.



With the child's mother now charged with her death, Donald has launched an investigation of how DSS handled the case to see if the agency improperly handled the case.



Vernice Harris, 29, is charged with the murder and child abuse in the overdose death of her daughter. Police determined six months after the child's June 5, 2007 death that Bryanna Harris died from an overdose of methadone and blunt force trauma to her stomach.



After months of investigation and witness statements, detectives said they have determined that the mother was the one who gave the child the drug.



"Detectives have witnesses that claimed to have witnessed the mother beating the child as well as the mother giving her methadone when the child would cry or just reach out for attention," said Donny Moses, Baltimore City Police spokesperson.



Donald expressed remorse over Harris' death.



"We are saddened whenever a child is seriously injured or killed when state services are being provided to that child's family," she said in a statement. "And the death of Bryanna Harris is very disturbing.



"We need to learn from tragic incidents like this how to improve systems in our local departments of social services to protect children in our care."


The death of Bryanna triggered the demotion of a child protective services supervisor last July and a further investigation will determine what other actions will be taken in the case," Donald said.



"I have ordered a joint investigation by the Office of Inspector General of DHR and the new Deputy Director of Baltimore City DSS into the case review involving Bryanna Harris and her mother Vernice Harris," Donald said.



According to the Maryland Department of Human Resources, DSS provided services to Bryanna and her mother immediately following the child's birth.



After DSS received an initial report of child neglect by Harris, workers were sent out immediately to offer intensive family services, spending 35 hours in face-to-face engagement with Harris for over four weeks.



During that process Harris was connected to specialized services to ensure that Bryanna was safe.



Last April, however, DSS responded to a second neglect report on Harris, with CPS workers immediately going to the home and assessing that the child was safe.



The child's primary doctor was also contacted and expressed no concerns and confirmed that her immunization records were current.



The worker conducted a satisfactory follow-up visit the following week in which he observed the child and interviewed Harris and her mother.



Human Resources spokesman Norris West says that despite this most recent incident of a possible mishandling of a child neglect investigation, Donald has had a much broader review of the agency going on for quite some time.



"Since October, the secretary has ordered an examination of the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, which is on going," West said.



Harris' cousin, Ebony Moore, 38, said signs of neglect were quite evident and that DSS simply dropped the ball when it came to Bryanna.



"In May of 2007 they notified her, so it wasn't an unannounced visit, so she had a chance to clean up and actually set the stage for CPS when they came in," Moore said.

(Full story www.afro.com)