LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Board Takes Action to Improve Dependency Court
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion calling for more training of professionals in the Dependency Court system and asked that a set of recommendations be developed for making the court process more responsive to the safety needs of children.
The motion was the latest in a series of steps by the board in response to the beating death of a 2-year-old boy placed in his father’s custody by a Dependency Court judge despite allegations that the boy was being abused in the home.
Critics contend that breakdowns in the county’s child protective system contributed to the death.
The supervisors this month launched an inquiry after a Times’ report that detailed the death of Lance Helms, found beaten to death April 6 in the North Hollywood home where he lived with his father, David Helms, 30, and Helms’ girlfriend Eve Wingfield, 22.
Wingfield has been charged with murder and two counts of child abuse. Members of the boy’s family and other critics say they repeatedly warned officials that Lance faced imminent harm if he were allowed to remain in the home.
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