Rivco must never repeat Turpin failure

Riverside County leaders have voted to follow the recommendations of a 634-page report on the county’s safety net programs for vulnerable children and adults.

That’s great and all, but Riverside County residents really need to reflect on the utter failure of Riverside County to care for among the most vulnerable.

The report was commissioned by the county after ABC News’ “20/20” revealed failings in the care of some of the 13 Turpin siblings who were found abused by their parents in Perris back in 2018.

“All too often the social services system failed them,” the county-commissioned report found. “Some of the younger Turpin children were placed with caregivers who were later charged with child abuse. Some of the older siblings experienced periods of housing instability and food insecurity as they transitioned to independence.”

Funds that were supposed to be accessible to the siblings were often difficult to actually access, the report explains.

The report goes on to note that, “When they complained about their circumstances, they often felt frustrated, unheard, and stifled by the system.” This damning failure by Riverside County leaders and staff alike must not be forgotten or understated.

It is a disgrace what happened to the Turpin children who, “suffered further harm from a system that was meant to protect them,” as stated by lawyer Stephen Larson, whose law firm compiled the report.

“To the public, where is your outrage?” said Rory Connell asked at a Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting. “If the 13 kids in the most horrific case in the country don’t have a voice, what about the rest of them? This never should have been allowed to happen and it should not happen again.”

Indeed.

County officials for their part claim things are finally turning around.

Only time will tell whether that in fact has happened. County supervisors from this point on own any future failures in the county’s safety net system.

For the sake of Riverside County’s most vulnerable, let’s hope county officials, bureaucrats and staff exhibit professionalism, empathy and competence. That’s the least we should expect.