INDIANAPOLIS — Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, said he is in favor of a bill asking for changes to the Indiana Department of Child Services that will be introduced during the upcoming 2015 legislative session by fellow senator John Broden, a Democrat from South Bend.
The bill will try to redefine what a “near-fatality” is for DCS and could force the agency to reveal more information about incidents like the one that occurred in Anderson earlier this month. A 15-year-old girl is still in the hospital after she was found locked in a bedroom of her grandparents’ house severely malnourished.
That incident has led to questions about how the DCS allowed this girl to slip through the cracks. An investigation was opened a few years ago but closed due to lack of evidence of abuse.
Due to confidentiality rules, details into the case in Anderson have been extremely limited.
A similar case in northern Indiana prompted Broden to try and change the way “near-fatality” is defined. Lanane said DCS has interpreted what a near fatality is very narrowly and usually only releases information if the victim is essentially in a non-responsive state.
“I think we can find a balance between protecting the privacy of children while also demanding more accountability from DCS workers,” Lanane said. “I’ve talked to Senator Broden about this and I support what he’s doing.”
In addition to the bill, Lanane said he will continue to push for more funding for the DCS to hire additional case workers. He said the department is underfunded and doesn’t have enough workers to cover all of the children it is responsible for.
“I’m just not sure why they’re not getting the money they need,” Lanane said.”They’re severely short-handed.”
The 2015 session begins next week on Jan. 6. It is a budget session so a budget for the next two years will be hashed out over the next few months.