NCJ Number
114323
Date Published
1988
Length
33 pages
Annotation
An oversight committee formed in October 1986 has monitored the implementation of recommendations made by an interdisciplinary committee that analyzed child fatalities resulting from parental abuse or neglect in South Carolina and recommended specfic ways to address deficiencies in the child welfare system of the State.
Abstract
The committee's achievements include the full mobilization of local multidisciplinary case advisory teams in all 46 counties, the development and implementation of an interagency training program on child abuse and neglect, the development of model agreements for use between hospitals and child welfare offices, and the adoption of standardized guidelines for the hospital management of child abuse situations. Other achievements during the year include production and distribution of new public awareness material, revision of policy and procedural manuals for child protection staff, and efforts to clarify roles and responsibilities regarding lines of authority and evaluation and discipline of county directors of social services. A standing Child Fatalities Review Committee will begin its work in the first quarter of 1988. Future needs include greater staffing and funding of the State protective services program, coordinated efforts between the public and private sectors, and expanded public awareness activities.