Death led to big overhaul of child-protection system

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Little Diamond Alexander-White was beaten to death with a vacuum hose by her mother eight weeks after Texas child-protection officials allowed them to reunite.

The 2-year-old's death in 2004 was one of more than 500 recorded in Texas in less than three years due to child abuse or neglect — deaths that underscored the need for a massive overhaul of the state's child welfare system.

An audit found that in nearly 70 percent of the cases handled by the Department of Family and Protective Services, case agents failed to take the appropriate action.

The result was major reform bills passed by the Texas Legislature, which among other things provided an infusion of millions of dollars to beef up resources and implement new requirements, including stepped-up investigative response times.

Patrick Crimmins, spokesman with the agency, said a flurry of reforms were passed in the 2005 session of the Legislature and again in 2007 to address the problems.

"There were a series of high-profile cases in San Antonio and Dallas and (Child Protective Services) was criticized for not acting appropriately. ... In CPS circles, a CPS agency is generally criticized for acting too fast for children who are not in danger of any abuse or neglect or acting too slowly in cases where children are seriously injured or killed."

SB6, crafted by Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, added 2,500 more caseworkers, aimed to reduce caseloads by 40 percent and allocated a little more than $300 million to the agency, which is also tasked with investigating cases of elder abuse.

Two years later (the Legislature meets for five months every other year in odd-numbered years), Nelson again pushed successfully for the passage of legislation that added another $180 million to the department's coffers.

SB758, in part, increased reimbursement rates for foster families after the "system" lost track of two children who died after being placed in "safe" homes, said Dave Nelson, the senator's communications director.

"They were tragedies that focused heavily on the foster care system," the spokesman said. "It increased the tracking of children and stepped up oversight of foster homes."

He said that even before the recent raid in Eldorado that resulted in the seizure of 416 children from the polygamous YFZ Ranch, the issues heading into the next session are centered on having enough "capacity" to handle children who are moved into the system.

"There are 9,500 homes available for over 17,000 children who are displaced by abuse, neglect or abandonment."