A former Indiana Department of Child Services employee is facing misdemeanor and felony charges for allegedly claiming that she was investigating allegations of child neglect and abuse when no such investigations happened.
Employed with the DCS from May of 2019 through January of 2020, the Bartholomew County family case manager allegedly said she had interviewed caregivers and others involved in child neglect and abuse cases. Prosecutors also assert that she sought reimbursement for travel expenditures for work-related trips. A review of her smartphone and laptop and talks with caregivers and other DCS workers revealed that neither the interviews nor the visits took place as claimed.
Prosecutors have charged the family case manager with falsifying child abuse and neglect assessments, theft, ghost employment, and official misconduct.
Click here to read more about the case.
The work and findings of DCS family case managers can have severe and lasting implications for parents and children. If allegations of abuse or neglect are substantiated, the child could be removed from their home and placed in foster care.
Falsifying evaluations, therefore, is serious and reprehensible conduct. Yet, the recent case is just the latest in a history of examples where DCS case managers falsified or withheld evidence. Attorney Thomas W. Blessing, of Massillamany Jeter & Carson LLP, stated that it is unfortunate “this sort of behavior continues, despite several cases exposing it – including a couple filed by our office. Apparently, negative publicity, calls for reform and changes in leadership aren’t enough to fix the deeply-rooted corruption in this taxpayer-funded agency.”
At Massillamany Jeter & Carson LLP, we fight to protect the rights of parents involved in Child in Need of Services cases. We recognize that claims may be substantiated even when no evidence exists to support them. Our team is here to thoroughly review your case.
Schedule a consultation with us by calling (317) 434-1490 or submitting an online contact form.