MORE BAD NEWS FOR AGENCY

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Feb 1, 2008 | by BRIAN NEWSOME

It's called a fatality review -- a way for the Colorado Department of Human Services to learn more about the death of a child who has been on its radar in the past five years.

Last year, Colorado had so many child deaths requiring a fatality review that, earlier this year, the Colorado Department of Human Services launched a large-scale emergency investigation to look into the causes and what the cases might have in common.

Against that backdrop, it's easy to understand why child-welfare workers are frustrated by the death of 16-month-old Ashya Joseph, whose charred body was discovered Monday in her smoke-filled home on Galena Court after allegedly being set on fire by her mother, Maria Darlene Joseph.

The toddler's death followed a recent visit to her house by child- welfare workers, according to sources.

Her death is not likely to be included in the emergency investigation already under way, said Liz McDonough, Colorado DHS spokeswoman. But it underscores an issue that has welfare workers flummoxed.

Joseph's is the eighth death in Colorado since De- cember and the 16th in the past year of a child who has had contact with the child- welfare system during the past five years, the standard by which the department reviews fatalities. There have been two in El Paso County in the past four months.

State Director Karen L. Beye pulled 21 child-welfare workers, including one from El Paso County, from their usual duties to probe the deaths and look for potential problems within DHS.

"We're already taking every available resource and putting it on this," said McDonough. "I don't know that there's any more people to tap."

DHS is looking into Ashya's death, McDonough said, but she added that it would not likely change the statewide review, which is already moving as fast it can. McDonough said she could not confirm or deny that child-welfare workers had visited the Josephs' home, and she could not discuss specifics of the case because of confidentiality laws.

Even so, another death at a time when officials are working so hard to prevent them is disheartening, she acknowledged.

"Every single one takes a tremendous toll," McDonough said.

Fatality reviews usually include interviews with county DHS workers, law enforcement, educators, health care providers, neighbors or others who might have knowledge of a case.

The information is being analyzed to see if the system failed those kids and how. The probe for possible red flags includes:

- A look at demographics for similarities such as age, gender or family dynamics.

- An analysis of "decision points" where judgments are made about the legitimacy of an abuse complaint and how to respond.

- An evaluation of caseloads, case worker qualifications, supervision and other procedures.

Workers are scheduled to complete their fatality reviews by the end of February and release findings in March, Mc-Donough said.

El Paso County DHS Director Barbara Drake said the county does its own internal reviews of child deaths. A review of Ashya Joseph's death has not begun because the incident is still under investigation by police.

Drake said the county and state work regularly to find ways to avoid such tragedies.

One child's death, she said, is too many.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0198 or bnewsome@gazette.com