There are forms, procedures and checklists to follow when investigating child abuse. There are even toll-free tip lines for the public to use in reporting suspected attacks on the defenseless.
Indiana's process in reporting and investigating cases of child neglect has been evaluated and dissected as the subject of numerous hearings on the state level.
And yet.
And yet, cases of child neglect and abuse seem as if they're always falling through some crack in the system.
That's the common perception now of those who have heard the troubling story of a 15-year-old Anderson girl who was found Dec. 1 with no pulse by emergency crews inside her family home in the 3400 block of Forest Terrace.
The details are horrific. The mentally handicapped teen was kept inside the home for years, often locked in a room with only a bucket to hold her bodily wastes. When taken to the hospital, the girl had feces on her feet. Bones protruded from her 40-pound body.
A 4-year-old who also lived in the Forest Terrace home told authorities he had seen her reaching beneath the door of her locked room, clawing to get out.
Her guardians, Steve and Joetta Sells, were receiving a monthly Social Security check of $720. Given the details that have emerged, it seems that monthly check was the only reason they kept her alive. The couple face multiple counts of neglect of a dependent.
Others saw her in this unfathomable condition, including family members who lived there. A doctor who found her to be malnourished had set up an appointment for the family, but they didn't show.
The Indiana Department of Child Services filed a court case in 2010 seeking help for the girl, but it was dropped by the DCS for reasons that have not been publicly divulged. A brief note in court documents says the case was being dismissed for "finding no evidence."
Here is a problem that Hoosiers can't understand: Is this a case of a broken system, or did DCS workers have faith that the child might be getting help? We don't know.
And DCS has been quiet. Despite repeated attempts by news media to get even the briefest explanation, the agency claims it is still investigating. But the thrust of this case goes to the dismissal. That was four years ago.
Transparency is critical in re-establishing credibility of the department.
Many times, DCS says it doesn't have enough investigators to address reports of child abuse or neglect.
Madison County ranks unusually high in these cases. In September, the county had 22 unsubstantiated reports of sexual abuse of children; six were substantiated. There were 49 reports of physical abuse, eight were confirmed. Of 204 reports of neglect, 55 were substantiated.
That's the highest in a region that includes Hamilton, Hancock, Tipton and Madison counties.
There are times when allegations can't be proved in court. And most Hoosiers understand the DCS's desire to keep a family together. There are degrees to the mistreatment of a child, whether physical or emotional.
Hoosiers understand the complexity of addressing a family where neglect is alleged. We hold faith in the process.
But until the Department of Child Services explains its rationale in handling the case of the 15-year-old Anderson girl, that process will seem to be broken and harmful.