Child protection system broken, as Janiya's dealth demonstrates

I am very gratified to finally see the letters of outrage over the abuse and death of poor little Janiya. I have not written sooner as I was waiting to see all of the information.

However, now I doubt we will ever see all of the information as all of the agencies involved will have to cover up many of their non-activities in relation to this family.

What really sticks in my mind is "the mother was uncooperative." Of course she was uncooperative. The child was dead!

Not much has been written about the other children in the home, other than how the 12-year-old boy was abused. I can guarantee you the other children were abused as well.

And just think of all the years the children suffered at this mother's hands while all of these various agencies referred the family here, then there, to this caseworker, then to the sheriff's office, then to this agency, then here, then back to there, and on and on.

Who was there following the case who knew what was going on and was doing all the follow-up? There was no one. Our form of Child Protective Services is a joke.

When I was a caseworker for the State of Oregon, I would never have let a mother such as this one turn me away. I would have filed a petition with the juvenile court and followed up with that case.

I am so disturbed and outraged for not only Janiya but also for her siblings and for the other children out there who have also died from lack of action on the part of Department of Children & Families. It just makes me ill. There is something terribly wrong with the system in this county and the other counties that follow this system.

Kathleen Kramer

Bradenton

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Child protection system broken, as Janiya's dealth demonstrates ."