State must take action against child abuse

It’s encouraging that state officials have formed a commission to investigate the alarming number of cases of child abuse and neglect in Montana. And the fact that it’s a bipartisan effort will help ensure it does not get bogged down in political squabbling.

But investigating is one thing. Lawmakers and other policy makers must use the commission’s findings to enact specific and effective measures to stem the alarming increase in the number of child abuse cases in recent years.

Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, and Attorney General Tim Fox, a Republican, appointed the 14-member Child Abuse and Neglect Review Commission recently. Members include a former child abuse victim, health care providers with experience in child abuse cases, a county attorney, a law enforcement officer, a former judge and an attorney with experience in these kinds of cases.

The commission will be looking at 14 suspect cases of children’s deaths between July 1, 2015, and Nov. 8, 2016, identified by the Child and Family Services Ombudsman’s office. The deaths were singled out because of other factors involved, such as substance abuse or domestic violence issues in the home. Unlike the ombudsman’s office, the commission will have access to law enforcement and medical reports for their investigations.

And the commission is reminded there is ample evidence that the state’s foster care system has been stretched to the breaking point. The commission should identify immediate specific actions that can be taken to shore up that system.

The commission was authorized by the Legislature earlier this year. It was laudable that lawmakers were sufficiently convinced of the seriousness of the situation to take this action. But our dealings with social ills all too often end up producing weighty reports that collect dust on shelves in some state agency. This is one issue that must not become a victim of analysis paralysis.

Of all the victims of crime in our state, children are the most vulnerable and defenseless. We must make it a top priority to find out why faster action is not taken on reported cases of child abuse — action that could prevent serious injuries and death to children.