As parents, there is nothing more important than ensuring that our children are healthy and safe. This responsibility is taken so seriously that our government has departments that oversee and investigate accusations and reports of child abuse and neglect. Over the past couple of years, the state of Pennsylvania has seen a lot of changes in the laws involving child safety. However, how do we know if the new procedures put in place are really effective?
Recently, it was announced that the Department of Human Services was going to be auditing the new program to see if it is in fact working.
Many people do not feel that the program is working as well as it was hoped. For example, some complaints have been voiced about applications for child abuse clearances taking too long. Even state employees have voiced their frustration over subpar technology that makes it challenging to do their jobs. Now that many of the corrective actions have been completed, the Department of Human Services feels that an audit is the next step.
Sadly, child abuse can happen to any child by any person, even someone a child should always trust, like a parent. If you suspect that a child in your life is being neglected or abused, reach out to Child Services to request a home investigation by a professional. If the victim of abuse in your own child, contact the authorities about your suspicions right away as well as contact an attorney who represents victims of crime.