State is failing troubled youth

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It is a cruel irony to place an emotionally disturbed child — often a victim of abuse and neglect — into state custody only to have the child suffer further neglect and, in a few cases, abuse. But that's the sad reality for thousands of children under the state's care. South Carolina is failing too many children in its custody or under its care. The state can, and must, do better.

Two recent cases — a teenage girl in Oconee County who is alleged to have been sexually abused in a group home and a 10-year-old boy who died after being restrained — are sobering examples of how children can be tragically mishandled by the system, to horrifying result.

While these extreme cases make headlines, many more do not. They are cases where children are passed between state agencies with no one directly and solely accountable for their care and treatment. Parents complain that sometimes ailments go untreated and conditions unnecessarily deteriorate.

Recent findings of a legislatively appointed study committee characterize the system's shortcomings this way: a lack of central oversight, too many agencies involved in care and treatment, and no consistent application of quality control.

South Carolina is unusual among states in the number of agencies with a hand in treating disturbed youths. Here, at least 10 state agencies have partial responsibility for housing, treatment and education. The agencies have grown out of the best of intentions — to institute healthy checks and balances. Instead, fragmentation has reigned, which undermines direct accountability.

The Children's Services Study Committee reports that parents often complain that their children have multiple case managers but "no or few services that are direct, core therapeutic services" to address their needs.

The state Department of Social Services and the Continuum of Care — which is part of the governor's office — are both responsible for monitoring children's care.

But the committee found that communication between agencies is often poor. It also found that sometimes treatment is not provided in a timely manner. The delay often causes some disorders to worsen.

For children in state custody, the conditions are worse. Both complaints and substantiated allegations have risen dramatically over the past year. The fragmentation even makes it tough for parents to either lodge complaints or get a group home's licensing history.

House lawmakers have proposed streamlining the agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services, which should be further explored. Budget constraints will make reform difficult. DSS, for example, faces a $10 million cut and the loss of 500 employees.

At least the main problems have been identified. And they can be addressed as long as the Legislature has the political will to cut, merge and restructure the agencies into a system that is better able to track accountability.