Source: NPR
In the state of Maine, already two children have died from abuse in the home, and in neither case did authorities take action even with knowledge that the children were being abused.
In one case, a 10-year-old girl died from what was determined to be acute and chronic abuse. Authorities had been warned by neighbors and school staff several times, but nothing was done.
The girl’s own parents admitted to abusing her over the course of several months shortly after she died.
In another case, a 4-year-old died from blunt force trauma and her mother was then charged with murder.
How state officials handle situations of abuse has been put into question.
Governor LePage has said that the state lacks resources, as the number of caseworkers has stayed the same over the years, yet the number of cases each worker handles increases by tens.
Meanwhile, in California, legislators are dealing with similar concerns as they discovered abuse to children being homeschooled. A combination of too many cases and too few resources could be exacerbating the problem.
Read Full Story: NPR