Child welfare system in need of major overhaul

State legislators must commit to providing potentially lifesaving resources to overburdened agencies.

On April 23, a Northern York County Regional Police officer was dispatched to a one-story home on Greenbriar Road in Manchester Township.

It was what police refer to as a well-being check. Someone had called police concerned about the residents and asked that they check to see whether they were OK.

When the officer peeked through living room curtains, he saw the body of Tammy June Williams. She had been shot to death.

Upon further investigation, he found the body of 3-yearold Kelly Williams. In a back bedroom, he found the body of Kelly’s father, Frankie, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said that it was a double murder-suicide, that Frankie Williams shot his mother and daughter and then turned the gun on himself.

The family was known to the system. Earlier this year, the York County Office of Children, Youth and Families had opened an investigation into Kelly’s well-being.

There were allegations that the house was unsafe, that the family was using a bucket for a toilet and that there were drugs being used in the house.

A caseworker visited the house twice, on Feb. 3 and Feb. 8. By Valentine’s Day, the case was closed. The agency had determined that Kelly was safe.

After Kelly’s murder, the state Department of Human Services reviewed the case and determined that the county agency had not done enough. It is not surprising. Even with reforms to the child welfare system and heightened awareness of the dangers children face in their homes, it is unfortunately common that some cases slip through the cracks and end in tragedy.

The state found that caseworkers didn’t thoroughly inspect the home, never going beyond the living room. There was no indication that caseworkers spoke with Kelly directly.

They didn’t follow up in regard to concerns about drug use in the home. Frankie and Tammy June denied the allegations and declined to submit to drug tests, and it was left at that.

The state investigation concluded that the county agency made a number of mistakes.

Not to point out the obvious, but had the county investigation been more thorough and determined that the allegations were founded, it could have removed Kelly from the home.

At least there would have been one less victim.

This case illustrates the shortcomings of the child welfare system, not just in York County, but throughout the state.

The system is mired in bureaucracy; caseworkers spend more time filling out documentation that investigating cases.

Caseworkers are underpaid and overburdened with cases. Turnover among caseworkers is high.

These problems are nothing new. State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, in an audit released earlier this year, described them in detail — the turnover, the overwhelming caseloads, the lack of resources.

DePasquale pointed out that while the state Legislature has expanded mandates to report child abuse — a result of the Jerry Sandusky scandal — it did not provide any addition funding to help counties meet the requirements of the law.

It is not an abstract concept. It is very real. And, as in the case of Kelly Williams, it was fatal.

The system needs an overhaul. Caseworkers have to be relieved of some of the paperwork so they can spend more time in the field investigating complaints. Caseworkers have to be paid more so that they remain on the job.

More caseworkers have to be hired so they have the time to thoroughly investigate claims of child abuse.

And that will take money. The Legislature has to make sure that counties have enough resources and funding to meet the requirements of the laws they have passed.

That would be the responsible thing for the Legislature to do.

Unfortunately, responsible is not one of the first words you think of when it comes to describing the Legislature. Unfortunately, dysfunctional is.

It may be too late for Kelly Williams.

But it shouldn’t be too late for the next Kelly Williams.