Hundreds of child abuse reports were discarded. What’s the status of the investigation?
It’s been seven months since a Madera County social worker was accused of discarding hundreds of child abuse reports, and county authorities remain tight-lipped about their responses to the crisis.
In March, a Fresno Bee investigation revealed that at least 357 child abuse and neglect reports might have been abandoned for up to two months in the fall of 2019. In internal emails, county officials said the social worker had, at a minimum, “placed children in danger.” Dozens of the neglected cases involved reports of physical or sexual abuse.
Emails indicated most of the reports came through the department’s child abuse reporting hotline. Some of the referrals were found around the employee’s desk, and others were discovered in special locked wastebaskets, typically used for shredded documents, according to the emails and employee interviews.
A criminal investigation, launched in November shortly after the incident was discovered, remained ongoing this week. According to Madera County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sarah Jackson, the case has not yet been sent to the District Attorney’s Office.
Madera County Department of Social Services administrators haven’t answered questions about their internal review or said what — if any — safeguards they’ve implemented or considered to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Madera County Counsel’s Office has instructed staffers — and the county’s elected Board of Supervisors — not to answer questions about the situation and in a letter described The Bee’s efforts to obtain information as “harassment.”
Madera County officials have refused to identify the employee but have said her employment ended shortly after administrators learned of the incident. But The Bee has learned the social worker at the center of the controversy is Sierra Lindman.
On May 21, Sabrina Mendez, a human resource analyst for Madera County, confirmed the county’s record of Lindman’s last day on Madera County’s payroll was Nov. 8. However, when Mendez was reached again last week, she said she didn’t recall talking with anybody from The Bee and that she wasn’t authorized to release any information.
Lindman’s name also was confirmed by a second county employee who agreed to speak with The Bee on the condition of anonymity.
Lindman did not respond to multiple interview requests.
The allegations came to light after The Bee examined dozens of government emails obtained through a public records request and interviewed county employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the emails, Madera County Department of Social Services Director Deborah Martinez became aware of the issue on Nov. 6. The employee was placed on leave the following day, and Martinez confirmed her last day of employment was Nov. 12.
Multiple children were removed from their parents’ homes by CPS after the referrals were discovered, and assigned for investigation months later, according to the employees interviewed by The Bee.
Two employees told The Bee the department likely missed “red flags” in the weeks before the crisis unfolded. A child welfare expert questioned whether the department had any safeguards in place, and if so, why they failed.
Officials tight-lipped
Madera County officials have been tight-lipped about the incident.
Only two supervisors have ever responded to request for comment on the incident, saying they wouldn’t provide any details, and the county counsel’s office had urged them not to discuss the matter in public.
“We will always take protecting those who can’t protect themselves with the upmost seriousness,” Supervisor Brett Frazier said.
Supervisor Tom Wheeler said the county was working on the incident.
“We are very concerned, and we are working on it,” he said. “We are concerned, and that’s the bottom line.”
In response to numerous requests for comment from the Board of Supervisors and other top CPS and county officials, the county’s attorney, Regina Garza, issued a statement saying local government officials would not comment on the matter further.
“Be assured that Madera County immediately initiated, and continues to undertake, all necessary and available remedial action to address the situation,” Garza said in March. “However, please understand that because this matter is presently the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation, and due to the privacy issues related to potential abuse and/or neglect, the County is unable to provide any further comment at this time.”
As part of a response to a public records request in May, the Madera County Counsel’s Office asked The Bee to “refrain from the continued harassment of county staff.”
“County Counsel has already made it abundantly clear that neither County staff nor the County Board of Supervisors have any further comment relating to your requests,” wrote County Deputy Counsel Matthew M. Lear.
David Snyder, executive director with the First Amendment Coalition, said he found it “troubling” that county counsel would describe efforts to reach public leaders about a “significant scandal in the county amounts to some form of harassment.”
He said that’s not harassment, but “routine and accepted journalistic practices.”
“Equally troubling is ... county counsel purporting to shut down the protected speech by elected officials,” he said. “And purporting to shut down any further information gathering by a reporter about a really significant scandal of high public interest, that’s very troubling.”
Recording child abuse hotline calls
According to a government email obtained by The Bee, county officials in May were discussing the possibility of implementing a new phone system that would allow reports from its child abuse hotline to be recorded.
“The intent of this tool is to assist in developing staff in their position,” the May 7 email stated.
It’s unclear whether the new system could protect against similar incidents in the future as officials have refused to answer questions about it.
At least some CPS employees have pushed back against the proposed system, saying it would increase social workers’ liability without increasing pay. Union officials earlier this month “rejected” the new system, but said negotiations are ongoing.
It’s also unclear whether the county has actually purchased the system.
In response to a California Public Records Act request for documents associated with costs and implementation of the Calabrio Call Recording system, county counsel in a June 1 letter said the county had “no records responsive” to the request.
Victor Gamiz, director of communications for the union, confirmed the authenticity of the email about the recording system and acknowledged union leaders received it.
Donald Michael Allen, chapter president of the union representing Madera CPS employees, issued a brief statement to The Bee in May.
“We take our jobs very seriously, and advocating for the safety and privacy of those we serve is always top of mind,” he said in the statement. “After receiving notice regarding the crisis call center implementation changes, we have formally agreed to meet with the County to discuss the impacts of the proposed change on our workforce as required by our labor agreement.”
Union leaders, however, declined to say whether the Department of Social Services is implementing the recording system as a result of the social worker accused of discarding the child abuse reports.
Union leaders and county management have had a series of meetings to discuss the system.
“I honestly believe that it will increase reprimands from supervisors and management,” an employee said. “I don’t like it, but I see it will hold social workers accountable.”
State: After crisis, Madera CPS actions were ‘appropriate’
State officials in March reviewed the incident and determined actions taken by Martinez and her team were “appropriate” in the days after the incident came to light internally, according to a letter to Madera County from the state Department of Social Services dated May 21.
The letter did not discuss any details of the incident or elaborate on the actions taken by Martinez and her team.
Officials with the California Department of Social Services confirmed they were not aware of the situation in Madera County until The Bee contacted them in early 2020.
While the state has acknowledged Madera County wasn’t legally obligated to notify them about the incident, state officials also urged the county to do so in the future.
“We recognize that this is largely a personnel matter,” the letter reads. “However, it is important that the county inform the department if something similar happens in the future. This will allow for us to make a joint assessment about the handling of the referrals consistent with state regulation and best practice.”
In the letter, David McDowell, chief for the state’s Children’s Services Operations and Evaluation Branch, also says there are “tools available” that could help CPS workers to monitor the number of calls received.
“This will allow supervisors to see whether there are anomalies in the distribution of received calls between staff,” the letter reads. “The CDSS is available to assist in providing technical assistance with this process.”
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