Caseworkers Charged With Felonies After Child's Death

Prosecutors have charged child welfare caseworkers with felony child endangerment, alleging that the caseworkers negligently recommended family reunification.  The child's mother subsequently mistreated the child, who died in her care.  Prosecutors and the grand jury concluded that the caseworkers ignored a pattern of concerning behavior by the child's biological parents when recommending that the court return the child from foster care to the biological mother.

Child welfare caseworkers should not be immune from accountability, but it is not clear that the blunt instrument of criminal law is the correct solution. Caseworkers face a lot of competing pressures, of which the federal government's emphasis on family reunification may be the greatest.  The child welfare system already suffers from low pay, low morale, high turnover, and not enough resources.  It's far from clear that adding criminal liability for professional decisions will move the system toward a feasible solution.