Vermont and nine other states get F’s in a report examining how forthcoming state governments are in releasing information about their roles in cases of severe child abuse.
The report, “State Secrecy and Child Deaths in the U.S.,” says most states don’t release adequate information about fatal and life-threatening child abuse cases because of policies that put confidentiality above child welfare.
The head of the Department of Children and Families Steve Dale says the state’s policies are aimed at protecting the identity of survivors who could be publicly humiliated by the release of information about their cases.
Two national child advocacy groups _ First Star and the University of San Diego School of Law’s Children’s Advocacy Institute _ issued the report today. They found that only a handful of states comply with the spirit of federal laws mandating public disclosure of what public agencies did in abuse and neglect cases that end with a child’s death or near-death.
New Hampshire was one of only two states that got an ‘A’ grade for its child abuse disclosure policy.
Most states withhold information that could prevent future tragedies and hold child welfare systems accountable, according to the authors, who were to release the findings on Capitol Hill.
All states investigate serious child abuse to see if criminal charges are warranted. The report grades states based on their laws about disclosing the role of public agencies in child deaths and near-deaths.