Ombudsman report tells public little; still don't know why abusive dad allowed custody (St. Clair County, Michigan)

Excellent editorial from the Times Herald that asks some very pointed questions--the same questions we've been asking here for months. Why was a dad like JOE GALVAN--a man with a documented history of child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and criminal behavior--allowed to assume and retain custody of this little girl? What was the role of the Department of Social Services in letting this happen, and why is the information on that role being suppressed?

http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20100909/OPINION01/9090325

Ombudsman report tells public little
September 9, 2010

What will it take to know what state agencies did or didn't do to prevent a child from being harmed? When will making such details public become a routine matter?

If anything is to come from the despicable torture and murder of 3-year-old Prhaze Galvan by her father and stepmother, it is how such tragedies can be prevented.

From all accounts, much of Prhaze's brief life was characterized by abuse. Joe and Jennifer Galvan were convicted for taking her life. The two will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

Still to be determined is why the couple was able to mistreat Prhaze. Where were St. Clair County's Department of Human Services and Child Protect Services? Why were these agencies unable to ensure the child was safe?

The Michigan Office of Children's Ombudsman is supposed to ensure these questions are answered. A report the ombudsman issued last month assesses the Department of Human Services' role in the case, but the public is unlikely to ever see its recommendations.

State law prohibits the ombudsman from sharing those findings with anyone other than state lawmakers, family members and people state law requires to report child abuse, such as teachers and doctors. Still, privacy laws prevent them from sharing the report's recommendations.

One conclusion the report provides raises more questions than answers:

"The father has a documented history of child abuse, child neglect, domestic violence and criminal behavior. Conducting a comprehensive evaluation and accurate assessment of these safety factors was crucial for determining the level of future risk of harm posed by the father toward Prhaze and other children in his care."

Given Joe Galvan's history, there are strong reasons to ask why Prhaze was allowed to be in his care. Whether the evaluation and assessment were conducted is another question the public ought to know.

The irony is the state ombudsman was created in response to the senseless death of another Blue Water Area child, Ariana Swinson of Port Huron Township.

Ariana's parents, Edward Swinson and Linda Sue Paling, were convicted of second-degree murder for the January 2000 death of the 2-year-old. Lauren Hager, then a state representative, sponsored an amendment to the Children's Ombudsman Act that gave the ombudsman greater power to review the actions of state agencies.

The amendment, Ariana's Law, was enacted in 2004, and it was praised as an important step forward for accountability in child abuse cases.

Prhaze Galvan's murder reminds us there is more work to be done.

The public needs to know how well or how poorly state agencies charged with children's welfare conduct themselves. Sadly, we're still in the dark.