AUDITOR'S REPORT: STATE'S KIDS AT RISK

Calls to the state's child abuse hotline often are not properly received, documented and referred, putting abused and neglected children at risk, a state auditor's report released Thursday revealed.

Out of seven regions in the state, the Cape Girardeau region ranks third in the number of fatalities linked to child abuse or neglect, the report said.

Missouri Auditor Claire McCaskill stopped at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to outline the results of a performance audit of the state's Child Abuse and Neglect Response System, a hotline administered by the Division of Family Services.

McCaskill's report did not contain detailed information about child abuse or deaths in the Cape Girardeau region. But she said that in 1999, there were 5,183 cases of child abuse in Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area.

"Our review showed that while many calls are properly handled, ineffective oversight by top managers leaves many children in danger of further mistreatment," McCaskill said. "We realize that the role of DFS staff in receiving and processing hotline calls and cases is very difficult. We also realize that no one in DFS wants a child at risk to remain at risk."

The auditor's office made numerous recommendations to DFS officials for improving the quality of their service, including establishing a structured model to use for handling calls and providing preventative services based on certain calls.

According to state law, the auditor can conduct performance audits in addition to financial audits of state agencies. McCaskill said her audit, which required about 6,000 hours to put together, was inspired after two Kansas City area boys died from abuse despite at least 11 hotline calls about possible neglect.

In response to the audit, the Missouri Department of Social Services says the report takes "an overly simplified approach to an extremely complex system."

Both departments agree that increased public interest could pressure Missouri officials to make changes in the system.

The audit showed many hotline calls are improperly handled because of problems with quality control and inadequate staff training and pay.

As of Feb. 3, 2000, there were 4,482 overdue child abuse and neglect reports. Of those, 139 were in Cape Girardeau.

McCaskill said audit staff listened to tapes of hotline conversations and examined paperwork from the cases. She said that in one hotline conversation, a caller reported parents had locked a child out of the house.

The social worker on duty told the caller that there was nothing that could be done because the "one-hour lockout rule" had not been violated.

McCaskill said there is no one-hour lockout rule -- an example of hotline social workers not being adequately trained. She said a hotline manager told audit staff in regard to the child who was locked out: "38 degrees never killed anyone."

"We were not pleased with that particular attitude of DFS officials," she said.

The Department of Social Services said the audit failed to recognize thousands of children who benefit from its daily efforts.

"We feel this report borders on audit by anecdote and fails to recognize the improvements made to the system in the last several years," the department said in a prepared statement.

"The standard we are held to is 100 percent perfection, which is virtually impossible to achieve. Even with more money, new staff and additional training, some children will still be lost to tragic circumstances.

"Our agency along cannot protect all children. It takes a broader, community-wide approach, engaging people from all walks of life."