A high-ranking children's protective services supervisor in the Yakima office of the Department of Social and Health Services failed last year to properly investigate or report at least five allegations of child abuse and neglect at two day care centers, according to a whistleblower investigation by the state Auditor's Office.
In one incident, the auditor found that the supervisor didn't act on a report that workers at a day care center had been advised to give babies medication to keep them from crying.
Only after the allegation came up at a staff meeting did the supervisor report the information to the appropriate investigators in another unit of DSHS.
Neither the supervisor nor the day care centers were identified in the auditor's report, although state officials confirmed the supervisor is male.
DSHS moved that man to a nonsupervisory assignment last year. Before being moved, the supervisor oversaw four investigators and one clerical worker in what is called the Division of License Resources/Child Protective Services. The division investigates complaints of abuse and neglect of children in state care, which includes day care centers and foster homes.
Jeanne McShane, deputy administrator of the Division of License Resources/Child Protective Services in Olympia, said Friday that DSHS is conducting its own internal investigation of the abuse allegations and the role of the supervisor at the time before determining if any disciplinary action is needed.
"This was a failure to investigate, which doesn't mean abuse occurred," McShane said.
The auditor's inves-tigation was based on interviews with witnesses, a review of case files and other documentation. Here are the other findings of the auditor:
* The supervisor misled the department about whether law enforcement was investigating alleged sexual abuse of a child. He told his staff that law enforcement was investigating when in fact law enforcement had told him they were stymied and that the department should proceed with its own investigation.
* The supervisor waited four months to document interviews with an alleged sex offender living in the home of a day care provider. The person had committed a misdemeanor and wasn't required to register as a sex offender. State law requires the department to complete such reports in 30 days.
* A complaint arrived that a day care center had enrolled more children than its license permitted and was hiding some of the children in a van in a garage on a hot summer day. In his investigation, the supervisor failed to question any of the children alleged to have been put in the van.
* Another complaint alleged a day care provider was seen swearing at and slapping children. A witness said the supervisor didn't assess an investigative report by staff until five months after it was completed. It was brought to the supervisor's attention on four different occasions that the name of the provider wasn't in the file as required. Eight months after the complaint, the supervisor named a person but it was the wrong name.
* Leah Beth Ward can be reached at 577-7626 or lward@yakimaherald.com.
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