Making tough calls about the welfare of children

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Unfortunately, it can take a state to protect one: Each year in the U.S., 200,000 children are removed from their homes following allegations of abuse or neglect.

The process for deciding whether to remove a child is typically shrouded in secrecy, but in “Failure to Protect: The Caseworker Files” (9 p.m., KCET), “Frontline” continues its examination of Maine’s child protection agency by revealing the day-to-day workings of a small team of caseworkers.

The documentary by Barak Goodman and Rachel Dretzin is a follow-up to last week’s “Failure to Protect: The Taking of Logan Marr,” which focused on the story of a 5-year-old girl who was killed in state custody, but it stands alone as a provocative look at an imperfect system.

The program is followed at 10 p.m. by “Failure to Protect: A National Dialogue,” a one-hour forum on U.S. child welfare policy.

There will be plenty to talk about, because “The Caseworker Files” puts a human face on a hard question: What is the right balance between saving a child and ripping apart a family?

Finding the answer and seeing it through proves to be equally tough for nervous newcomer Shaleigh Anthony, armed for her first case with five weeks of training, and for veteran caseworker David Greeley, who goes about his business with a calm demeanor and a heavy heart.

Ultimately, it’s clear that they and others are using their best judgment -- but also that their judgment calls can be second-guessed.