Child-abuse policies in Utah receive an F

Changes resulting from a single high-profile tragedy "are usually knee-jerk responses," the report said. "Enhanced public disclosure of all child abuse and neglect deaths and near deaths enables the public, child advocates and policymakers to work together to understand comprehensive trends and craft more thoughtful, comprehensive reforms."

The report issued grades for the disclosure policies of all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Only six states — Nevada, New Hampshire, California, Indiana, Iowa and Oregon — received grades of A or A minus. Ten states received an F: Georgia, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.

In South Dakota, Virgena Wieseler of the Division of Child Protection Services said her agency will propose changes based on the laws in states that got high grades. Rob Johnson of Tennessee's Department of Children's Services said legislative efforts were under way "on how to better release information."

But Utah Department of Human Services spokeswoman Elizabeth Sollis disputed many of the findings.

In the grading system, Utah lost 90 out of 100 points for not having a state policy on public disclosure, not having that policy in law and not having information readily available.

But Sollis said several state laws dictate public disclosure of child abuse and neglect reports. A policy on the issue is available online, she added, and annual reports on child fatalities are also online.

Sollis wondered if Utah got a poor grade because the authors just had a difficult time finding information on the Web. Nonetheless, the department welcomed the report.

"It's good to see. It helps us to see where we can perhaps improve," Sollis said.

Cathy Utz of Pennsylvania's Office of Children, Youth and Families said the report did not reflect a recent state initiative to provide summaries of fatal and near-fatal cases in its annual child abuse report.

Tara Muhlhauser of North Dakota's children and family services division said officials withhold only information that is deemed confidential under state or federal law.

"We are not failing in our efforts to protect children in North Dakota," she said, contending that the F grade reflected only a "narrow category" regarding public information.

Vermont's and Georgia's low grades were due partly to their policies of withholding information about near-fatalities.

"If a child survives a situation that serious, being on page one of the newspaper could be incredibly re-traumatizing," said Steve Dale, commissioner of Vermont's Department of Children and Families.

Romaine Serna of New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department said her state complies with federal law.

"It's a balancing act for us because we do believe in the public's right to know but we also believe in families and their right to confidentiality," she said.

Elyn Jones of Maryland's Department of Human Resources said the low grade was no surprise because the agency has long been criticized for restrictive disclosure policies. Maryland is one of a handful of states that doesn't release information about serious child abuse unless a criminal charge is filed.

However, Jones said the department is working on being more open with information than past administrations.

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On the Net:

• First Star: www.firststar.org

• Children's Advocacy Institute: www.caichildlaw.org