End to Child Welfare Lawsuit Imminent for State

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Utah is on the brink of ending a 14-year lawsuit that forced significant reforms to the state's child welfare system. Department of Human Services Spokesperson Carol Sisco says DCFS is better off because of it:

"Workers get a lot more training before they ever go out in the field with children," says Sisco. "They have mentors. They have written instructions on how to proceed and things. Every child that comes into care in Child and Family Services gets a physical exam."

The class action lawsuit known as "David C." arose from complaints that foster children in Utah's custody were abused and neglected. Utah agreed to implement ninety-three improvements to the system with the help of significant funding from the Utah Legislature. On Friday, Utah attorneys and the National Youth Law Center signed an agreement to terminate the lawsuit. A district court judge will approve or deny the agreement on June 28th. Sisco says the even when the lawsuit is over, Utah will still be under scrutiny:

"For a year or so we still will have to report to the National Youth Law Center," says Sisco. "We also report to the Child Welfare Oversight committee at the Legislature. And we will have internal controls - we pick cases at random and talk to everybody involved to see what went right, what didn't."

Since the case was filed in 1993, the budget for the Utah Division of Child and Family Services has tripled. Sisco says about 2,600 children are currently in the Utah foster care system.

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