Report finds workers lack experience

Naivete may have contributed to Pierce County case

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published August 10, 2007

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The inexperience of child-welfare workers might have contributed to poor decisions in a Pierce County abuse case, said a report released Thursday by the Department of Social and Health Services.

The report detailed mistakes identified in the case, including at least four missed opportunities to launch a criminal investigation into the alleged abuse of a 12-year-old Puyallap boy.

But it also noted the inexperience of key staff members in the case, a concern state officials said is worth examining as the state continues to hire more social workers — nearly 400 in the past two budget cycles.

The worker in charge of the case graduated from the Social Worker Academy program at the University of Washington in January. While “tenacious” in tracking the case, the worker developed a plan for the boy that inappropriately put his grandfather in charge of his safety when his grandmother was suspected of physically abusing him, the report said.

The grandfather, Remil Venegas, 52, and the grandmother, Loni Venegas, 33, have pleaded not guilty to child assault in the case.

The supervisor who approved the plan that the social worker developed graduated from her training program in December, although she had experience elsewhere in the agency, according to the report. It also said one-quarter of the 41 child-protection services workers in the Tacoma office have less than a year of experience.

“Any time you bring in a lot of new staff … that does stretch the system,” said Children’s Administration director Cheryl Stephani. “We’re looking at the academy to see if we need to make changes in it, and that’s work that’s actually been going on for a while.”

The report also suggests lowering the social-worker-to- supervisor ratio in the Tacoma area by hiring two more supervisors, Stephani noted.

The state’s response to the Pierce County case was unusually fast; DSHS Secretary Robin Arnold-Williams last week accepted responsibility for a failure of the child-safety system and called for the report.

On Thursday, she said she was personally struck by the case, and she wants the public to better understand the child-protection system.

She added that the alleged abuse in this case, unlike other high-profile cases now in the courts, occurred since Gov. Chris Gregoire took office and appointed her as head of the agency.

“My commitment remains to hold the system and any individuals accountable,” Arnold-Williams said.

Disciplinary action is possible, she said, but she cannot discuss details until later because of union contracts and state personnel laws.

That wasn’t enough to satisfy state Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, who frequently has called for major changes to the state agency and asked Thursday for a “housecleaning.”

“We have known for years that the Children’s Administration’s problem is an entrenched management team that chronically disrespects its workers, intimidates employees, offers inadequate training and has created abysmal morale,” Stevens said.