Slain boy was under state's watch

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The Department of Social Services developed a treatment plan for Patrick Walker, his mother's boyfriend, in 1997 after it found that Walker had abused the boy, according to court testimony.

Walker and Earnetta King, Rodrekus' mother, were both found guilty Thursday of murdering the boy on the night of March 22 last year.

Greenville County DSS officials said they couldn't speak about that case, but rarely do the thousands of child abuse cases investigated each year end in a child's death.

"Thank goodness it doesn't average one a year," said Greenville County Coroner Parks Evans.

Gary Ray, director of the Greenville County Department of Social Services, said one death a year is too many. His office of 65 caseworkers received 1,418 reports of possible child abuse last year, or about 118 a month. Nearly 40 percent — about the national average — were found to have merit. The number of cases has remained about the same for the last few years, he said.

If the report involves a criminal act, he said, they will investigate the complaint by attempting to see the child within 24 hours. They will also interview the parents and anyone else who may have information. A determination is made within 45 days, Ray said.

"There's a fine line between being intrusive into families on the one hand and protecting children on the other hand," he said. "We certainly try to err on the side of the safety of the child."

In the most acute situations the child will be removed from the home. Otherwise they will work with the family to offer parenting classes, financial assistance, counseling and anger management.

The department is also working with 600 families on an ongoing basis in which abuse and neglect has been found, Ray said.

Approximately 280 Greenville County children from 196 families are in foster care, he said.

Carolyn Linebarger, coordinator for the Greenville County Guardian Ad Litem Program, said it is currently representing about 800 abused children.

The Greenville County Guardian Ad Litem program recruits community volunteers to serve as the voice of an abused child in family court. The guardian ad litem investigates the case and reports to the judge in the best interest of the child.

"Overall we do have good programs and they do a good job because most of our families are reunited in some form," Linebarger said. "I think we always need more good services."

The guardians are charged with monitoring the case while it's open, often up to a year or more. If they see problems they alert DSS or the courts.

The guardians in the state program are separate from the paid guardians ad litem who are appointed to represent children in private custody cases.

Linebarger said she has 220 volunteers but not enough staff to thoroughly supervise them all. Her staff has been reduced from seven to four, she said.

Linebarger said they get new cases each week that they have to evaluate what they can do for the children.

Only law enforcement or a judge can remove children from their home. Once a child is removed, he or she is taken in front of a judge within 72 hours to decide whether it was appropriate to remove the child.

The goal is most always to reunite the child with his family, she said.

Anytime law enforcement removes a child from a home or DSS files a complaint with Family Court, the program represents the child, she said.

Ray said there are many instances where abusive situations are rectified.

Dr. Chris Monaco, director of the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline, said they receive about 600 to 700 calls a day, many from people who called their state's providers and nothing was done.

"What we advise people to do, and might have been helpful in this case is to keep calling and go higher up in the system," she said.

Monaco said each state is different but case workers are faced with difficult situations in which children are often scared silent and they're hard to prove.

"There's no easy answer," she said. "They don't have a whole lot of leeway, unfortunately, in what they decide."

But, she said, the successes are higher than the failures.

"You hear the ones that failed, the children that didn't get the help," she said. "But thousands and thousands of children are helped as well."

Andy Paras covers crime and courts. He can be reached at 298-4220.