OGDEN — Utah, despite the harsh glare of attention it garnered with last year's controversy over the Parker Jensen case, continues to be a model in child welfare reform for most of the country, a top state official said Thursday.

"It takes a system of caring to make sure children get the services they need and parents have available resources," said Richard Anderson, executive director of the state Division of Child and Family Services.

Anderson was one of several speakers featured at the 17th annual Child Abuse and Family Conference at Weber State University.

With the theme of "Preserving the Innocence of Children," the event continues today and features a variety of workshops for child welfare workers, advocates, medical professionals, school employees and others who work in the arena of child abuse and neglect.

Anderson gave a slide show presentation he said demonstrates how far Utah has come in the last five years in meeting federal standards all states are required to obtain to improve how child welfare systems deal with children and families.

Noting that he travels a lot due to his service on national boards and associations, Anderson said he is always proud to return to Utah, where many of the challenges faced by other states have already been conquered.

As an example, he pointed to a recent federal review that put Utah among the top three in the nation in its progress toward achieving passing grades in how the system works.

While obtaining eight out of 14 "conformity" goals may not seem that lofty at first blush, Anderson pointed out that only one other state in the country — Kansas — had hit that mark.

The federal standards are so stringent, he added, it takes a whole system of people working to implement the changes.

In the last five years, for example, Utah has improved its federal review scores in the area of stability of children in foster homes, ensuring whatever placement the child receives is appropriate, meeting health-care needs of children in DCFS custody and assuring education services are provided.

While the state has improved in the area of helping families learn how to help themselves, Anderson said the state's mark still falls below federal expectations and needs to improve.

"That is a tough area," he said. "It is not just telling some father he needs counseling, but making sure he gets it."

Utah, however, is among the top in the country for the shortest lengths of stay in foster care and its ability to move children into homes of adoptive parents, Anderson said.

While critics may jump to quick conclusions of an overzealous system looking to yank children out of homes permanently, Anderson said the reality is kids who languish in foster care for years are irreparably harmed.