Guest MINDSETTER™ Casimiro: Children’s Deaths are Horrifying & Accountability is Needed at DCYF
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
To say that I am horrified by the death of so many children connected to DCYF would be an understatement, as I am sure it is for anyone else who has heard the same tragic news over the past couple of years. At a recent House Oversight Committee meeting, it was revealed to the committee that over the past 26 months, 10 children who have been associated with DCYF have died, eight of them under the age of 18 months old.
This is beyond unacceptable.
The state’s child advocate Jennifer Griffith has painted an extremely disturbing picture of DCYF’s inability to protect these extremely vulnerable children and although she is new to the job, DCYF’s director Trista Piccola must act swiftly to correct this awful pattern and save more of our state’s children from preventable harm and death.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMs. Griffith recommended numerous changes to DCYF to avoid further tragedy. I urge Ms. Piccola to follow and implement these recommendations down to the letter. DCYF has received numerous corrective recommendations in the past, yet we as a state have still failed these 10 deceased children over a very short period of time.
This is why I believe we need a permanent legislative committee to oversee DCYF and make sure every single recommendation is followed so that no more of our children die needlessly.
DCYF must be held accountable and we must provide its dedicated, but over-worked professionals, with the tools and support they need in order to care for and protect our children. We as a society cannot afford to let our youngest and most vulnerable population slip through the cracks any longer and a permanent committee to watch over DCYF is sadly needed in order to prevent any further tragedies from occurring in the future.
Rep. Julie A. Casimiro represents District 31 in North Kingstown and Exeter
Related Slideshow: Winners and Losers in Raimondo’s FY18 Budget Proposal
Related Articles
- DCYF Defies Chafee, Still Closing Children’s Shelters
- Senate Approves Bill to Require Accreditation of DCYF Employees
- NEW: DaSilva Reintroduces Bill to Keep Children Under DCYF Care In-State
- DCYF Spends $10 Million Sending Kids Out of State
- DCYF Finds Safety Violations at John Hope Settlement House
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Anne Grant: Fix DCYF Dysfunction and Stop Family Law Malpractice
- NEW: RI DCYF Receives $2 Million Grant to Recruit Foster Families
- Rhode Island DCYF Suspends Tender Care Learning Center License
- NEW: DCYF Receives $4 Mil Federal Grant
- NEW: Raimondo Taps Ohio Doctor to Head DCYF
- Accusations of Negligence, Abuse in DCYF Homes
- NEW: Chafee Picks New DCYF Director
- BREAKING NEWS: Chafee Names Interim Director of DCYF
- Despite Rhetoric, School Leaders Stand with Undocumented Community Members, Guest MINDSETTERS™
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Stokes: Black History Matters in Rhode Island
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Sen. DiPalma: We Must Not Become the ‘Party of No’
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Stewart: Patrick Kennedy Should Learn from Family History
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Stewart: Why I Oppose Raimondo’s Free College Scheme
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Taub: I Call Upon Mayor Elorza to Create the Prov Jewish Council
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Magee: RI’s Strong Defense & Undersea Technology Cluster
- This Less Perfect Union: Guest MINDSETTER™ Jim Wright
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Yarn: Hitting the Ground Running
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Van Leesten: Governor’s Proposal Will Unleash Opportunity for All
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Ford: No More Reefer Madness - Legalize Marijuana
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Morse: Dying to Help
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Casimiro: Food Pantry Demonstrates Power of Community
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Arne Duncan, “A Promise Worth Keeping”
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Ford: RIPTA and Rhode Island Government Simply Not Working
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Burke: PC Should Change its Diversity Requirement
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Carlstrom: Abandon the Pawsox Pipe Dream
- Hey RI, We Want the PawSox in Worcester: Guest MINDSETTER™ Quist
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Sen. DiPalma: We Can Learn From 19th-Century Education Reform (“Committee of Ten”)
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. Hull: Time for Providence to Reestablish Residency
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Sen. Ciccone: Elorza is Wrong to Close Plainfield Street Ramp on 6-10 Connector
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Stewart: James Baldwin & Neo-Nazis in Prov on Same Weekend
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Rep. Nunes: Retool RI’s TDI Program
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Kenney: Why is Pare Still Working
- Help RI’s Ex-Offenders Shed Scarlett Letter: Guest MINDSETTER ™ Schoos