CPS
State says no docs exist showing CPS responded to calls about Sissonville kids found locked in shed
Newly obtained documents show child protective services workers were told in August to promptly check on the children in Sissonville who were found last month living in a shed without access to running water or a toilet. However, the state health department doesn’t have travel documentation showing that CPS workers made contact with the children […]
CPS investigating 68% of child abuse and neglect referrals in required timeframe, DHHR leader says
Child protective services workers are responding to around 68% of abuse and neglect referrals in the required timeframe, according to state health department leaders, revealing some children may remain in dangerous situations. The rate marks an improvement for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources after a 2018 state audit found the state’s […]
Another child maltreatment case in WV has made national news. And nothing will come of it.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Kanawha County deputies forced their way into a barn in Sissonville and found two teenagers locked inside a 20-by-14 foot room. They had no way to exit the barn on their own, no running water, no bathroom and were deprived of basic necessities. Inside the house, deputies found a […]
Eastern Panhandle’s backlog of 400 child abuse, neglect referrals marks state’s troubled system
Standing in the state Senate Chamber, Berkeley County Circuit Judge Steven Redding told lawmakers that his county has a backlog of 400 abuse and neglect referrals to be investigated by child protective services. The state’s foster care crisis was evident in the Eastern Panhandle. The lack of CPS workers and delays in investigating reports of […]
State tries to address growing number of foster kids in residential care
The number of West Virginia foster kids in residential care is increasing, despite a federal mandate to reduce the number of children in facilities, some who are housed out of state. There are currently 511 kids in residential care, state data shows. State health department leadership told lawmakers Tuesday that the department developed a new […]
New videos to spot, respond to human trafficking offered to WV educators, social workers
School personnel and child protective services workers have access to new training videos that will help them better identify and report human trafficking to rescue victims. United States Attorney Will Thompson announced the initiative Tuesday at a press conference at the federal courthouse in Charleston. Thompson, who previously served as a judge in Boone County, […]