Source: http://www.childrenslegalrightsjournal.com/childrenslegalrightsjournal/volume_34_issue_2?pg=57
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 22:57:33+00:00

Document:
Public disclosure can facilitate accountability within child welfare agencies. In 2013, New Jersey proposed changing disclosure laws to limit the information released following the death of a child under the care or investigation of the state's child welfare agency. 188 Directors at Advocates for Children of New Jersey argued that this may curtail access to the “trail of investigations by a child’s caseworker that precedes a death from abuse or neglect.” 189 The directors added that disclosure “is an effective means to improve case practice, which can result in keeping New Jersey’s children safer.” 190 Maintaining public access in cases of fatality is integral to evaluating and improving the child welfare system.
Public access to information contained in child abuse records in cases other than fatalities may also be imperative to protecting children under the care of the states. Too restrictive privacy protections have been cited as obstructing the process of finding missing children. 191 Although citizen review panels can be an effective regular oversight mechanism, giving agencies the discretion to release certain types of information to the public and the news media can be in the best interest of the child. Therefore, solutions to allow greater public access to inspect records need to be explored.
are adopted across state lines, and foster parent applicants have not always lived in one place.
184 GA. CODE ANN. § 49-5-186(b)(2) (West 2013); S.C. CODE ANN. § 63-7-1990(H) (2013) (permitting disclosure after the death of a child in the state's custody at the time of death).
185 The states that allow for disclosure when the information has become public knowledge are Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New York, and South Carolina.
186 KAN. STAT. ANN. § 38-2212(d)(3)(B) (West 2013).
188 Susan K. Livio, N.J. Child Welfare Agency Proposes Less Disclosure in Fatal Child Abuse Cases, NJ.COM (June 12, 2013), http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/06/nj_child_welfare_agency_proposes_less_disclosure_in_fatal_child_abuse_cases.html. 189 Id.
191 Sarah Netter, Finding Missing Foster Children: Kids Who Disappear from State Care Often at Disadvantage, ABC NEWS (July 27, 2010), http://abcnews.go.com/US/missing-foster-children-state-privacy-laws-lack-family/story?id=11251835.
192 The states that grant access to other state agencies and officials are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
193 IOWA CODE ANN. § 235A.15(2)(e)(4) (West 2013); R.I. GEN. LAWS ANN. § 42-72-8(b)(10) (West 2013); S.C. CODE ANN. § 63-7- 1990(B)(13) (West).

References: § 49
 § 63
 § 38
 § 235
 § 42
 § 63