The child agency could have prevented at least 10 of the 35 deaths in abuse or neglect cases reported to it in 2003, the report says.
By Associated Press
Published December 24, 2004
TALLAHASSEE - Thirty-five children died in Florida last year after a report of abuse or neglect was filed with the Department of Children and Families, and 10 of those deaths were preventable by the child welfare system, according to a report released Thursday.
The vast majority of the deaths - 81 percent - were preventable by a caretaker other than the one responsible for the death, the annual report from the Florida Child Abuse Death Review Team said.
But 10 deaths were also definitely preventable by child welfare officials, and two more were possibly preventable, the report said.
Statewide, 95 children died of abuse or neglect in 2003, the report said. At least one prior report of abuse or neglect was filed in 35 of those cases.
"Even one child death due to abuse or neglect is too many," department spokesman Bill Spann said. "This report validates the progress made in Florida toward safeguarding the welfare of children from abuse or neglect. It also shows the need to continue strengthening a multidisciplinary approach to responding and reviewing child fatalities."
In the past five years, drowning was the leading cause of neglect deaths among children, responsible for 37 of the 161 deaths reviewed by the team. Ten happened last year.
The review team said it was essential that the department emphasize drowning factors in all risk assessments. It also recommended public education on drowning prevention, especially targeting kids 5 and under.
The majority of abuse deaths involved direct attacks causing physical harm, the report said.
