By Kyle Magin
Staff Writer
Nevada County has released its responses to Grand Jury reports filed earlier this year calling for some policy changes and infrastructure upgrades at two county departments.
In June, Jurors released a report finding a breakdown in communication at Child Protective Services, which allowed one case of child abuse that was reported to the office to go unrecorded and, subsequently, not followed up by staffers. Once the Grand Jury brought it to CPS attention, the agency immediately followed up on the claim, Grand Jury records show.
In its response, the county agreed it dropped the ball on the report in question, which was made last year in person at the CPS' office. But, county officials said the report was an isolated event, given its rigorous standards for following up on such reports.
“There is inconclusive evidence that other reports of suspected child abuse may have gone unrecorded,” county officials said in the report.
Cases are intensively followed up on, said Social Services Director Alison Lehman, who oversees CPS. Phone reports of abuse are immediately recorded by social workers and reviewed and reconciled with written reports received and those that come from law enforcement, she added.
In 2010-11, the 15.5-employee office received 950 reports of child abuse, Lehman said.
To correct the problem, by Sept. 30 the office will implement a system requiring all walk-ins filing an abuse report to log in, so the matter is documented and followed up on, she said.
“The safety of children in our community is our highest priority,” Lehman said. “Our social workers have chosen this field because of their commitment to keep children safe.”
Sheriff's Office
The Grand Jury also recommended the Sheriff's Office move immediately to improve security and video surveillance at the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility in Nevada City. The facility houses all county jail inmates.
Jurors found the facility lacked adequate video surveillance, proper locks on some doors and the minimum secutiry area has drop ceilings where inmates could potentially hide contraband materials.
In its response to the report, county officials agreed with the report.
The Grand Jury's report recommended the county “immediately” invest in a new security system. The Sheriff's Office recently put the system, which includes increased camera surveillance, out to bid, said Sheriff Keith Royal.
Estimated cost is about $875,000, he added.
Supervisors are scheduled to consider and potentially approve the new system at their Tuesday, Aug. 30, meeting.
To contact Staff Writer Kyle Magin, e-mail kmagin@theunion.com or call 530-477-4239.
http://www.theunion.com/article/20110818/NEWS/110819820/1001&parentprofile=1053
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