Agency’s Failure to Report Deaths Probed

Criticizing the county’s Department of Children and Family Services for failure to report immediately to the Board of Supervisors two infants’ deaths at the hands of their guardians--including one in Lancaster--Supervisor Mike Antonovich on Tuesday moved to investigate the cases and to compel the agency to evaluate its reporting procedures.

The move came after the board received two letters from Peter Digre, Children and Family Services director.

In one, dated Feb. 20, Digre says, “I recently became aware that we had inadvertently failed to inform you of a child death that occurred on Sept. 1, 1996.”

The other letter, dated the same day, informs the board about the Lancaster death, which occurred a week before, on Feb. 13.

That case, according to the letter, involved an infant killed by the mother’s live-in boyfriend.

“These ‘Child Death Alerts’ were reported to the board 170 and seven days after they occurred, respectively,” Antonovich complained in his motion. “This late reporting of child deaths is contrary to the board’s policy of immediate notification.”

In his motion, Antonovich asked the board to join him in requesting that Digre and the department’s inspector general report back to the board at its closed meeting session Thursday to explain why the board was not immediately notified of the deaths.

He also requested that the inspector general investigate the history of each death--focusing on the department’s actions and recommendations and court decisions concerning both--and to report to the board within 45 days its findings.