September 14, 2009

Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare: Health and Safety Review Report

In response to the November 2008 death of one year old Christopher Thomas Jr. who was killed while in a court-ordered kinship placement, Reggie Bicha, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, directed Department staff to conduct a safety evaluation of children in out-of home care who are in the custody of the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare (BMCW) and placed in foster or relative care. The focus of the review was children ages five and under who had been in their current out-of-home placement for 10 months or less as of December 1, 2008. This focus was based on the fact that infants and young children are more likely to be at risk for undetected child abuse and neglect because they are not observed by the same range of community members compared to school age children. The stakes are high for this group of children due to the long-term impact of their environment on their health and development. The goals of the review are to assure that children in kinship or foster care placements are safe, confirm that they were not victims of repeat child maltreatment while in care, and identify specific case practice and systemic improvements needed to ensure that children are safe.