More needs to be done to protect our children

If there was any kind of silver lining to be had from Jerry Sandusky's yearslong criminal spree of child molestation and the see-no-evil enablers who looked the other way is that it increased awareness of child abuse, an abomination that has too often been swept under the rug.

In the aftermath of Sandusky's arrest and conviction, state lawmakers expanded the definition of child abuse and enlarged the number of those considered mandated reporters. Such changes were necessary in order to lower the chances of someone like Sandusky carrying out horrible misdeeds with impunity.But Pennsylvania's children and youth services system is still problem-plagued, a fact that was highlighted in a disquieting report released earlier this month by the office of Auditor General Eugene DePasquale. The report found, as a result of the expanded definition of child abuse, caseworkers now have to investigate a tsunami of cases, fill out crushing loads of paperwork and do so while earning meager paychecks.This, as you would expect, has led caseworkers to head for the exits, seeking jobs where stress levels are more manageable and the compensation is better. Turnover rates you would expect to find in a fast-food restaurant ? a staggering 90 percent of caseworkers bailed out in York County over two years, to cite one example ? has led to a loss of continuity in dealing with children being abused or suspected of being victims.To place it in perspective, children and youth services workers who once had to deal with 12 to 20 cases are now taking on 50 to 75, the report states. Many of them are also fresh out of college, and, according to DePasquale, "are new professionals who often lack real-world experience with the types of volatile situations they encounter and are expected to manage." DePasquale's investigators also discovered a 45-minute home visit can generate enough paperwork that it takes three hours to fill it out ? four times longer than the visit itself.Another factor that is putting CYS caseworkers on the fast track to burnout is the opioid epidemic.Parents or guardians struggling with a paralyzing addiction to heroin or prescription painkillers sometimes leave their children in perilous situations, or outright neglect them.DePasquale pointed out $2 billion was poured into the system in 2016, yet abuse claimed 46 children that year, and left 79 severely injured. He also said half of the children who died were in families that were on the radar of investigators."Overregulation and a shortage of critical resources have resulted in kids being left in situations that led to their deaths," DePasquale said. "It's that simple."What's to be done? Not surprisingly, the report recommends greater resources be devoted to the children and youth system from state and county governments, and that they use what they have efficiently. DePasquale is also calling for the creation of an ombudsman who will serve as an advocate for at-risk kids, thin out the amount of paperwork caseworkers are required to wade through, and, perhaps, use technology in such a way that it lets caseworkers spend more time with children and families.Sure, the state and the county governments within it have limited budgets and many needs. But we all can agree, no matter where you stand on the political spectrum, that children should always be one of our first priorities. Lawmakers need to take the auditor general's recommendations seriously.