Lawmakers questioned the Department of Children and Family Services after a Baton Rouge toddler died from an overdose and the agency was notified twice before that the child was in danger.
“I am heartbroken at the loss of any child, especially one that has had some contact with our agency because it means the safety net that we are supposed to have as a society is not strong enough,” said DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters.
The state’s Inspector General is investigating the case. Walters said they are also investigating and reviewing where things went wrong so they can learn how to prevent such a tragedy in the future, but she said their ongoing staffing shortage is a major factor.
“We have been tackling problems that in large part are due to the loss of the 500 child welfare professionals that we still have not replaced,” said Walters.
But Monroe Senator Katrina Jackson says if a young child is admitted to a hospital as a result of potential abuse, DCFS should immediately intervene.
“This is not a slip through the crack, this is not a heavy caseload, these type of things is negligence at its finest,” said Jackson.
The two-year-old child in Baton Rouge overdosed twice on fentanyl prior to his fatal overdose in June. The child’s mother Whitney Ard faces multiple charges. DCFS made headlines again recently after a 14-year-old was allegedly raped while in foster care in Zachery.
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