TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - State child welfare officials recently added five years of data to their new website aimed at improving transparency around child abuse deaths. The site was mandated by the Legislature.
The Department of Children and Families' public site is updated weekly with information on child fatalities alleged to be a result of abuse or neglect.
The agency says the website exceeds the requirement to publish basic information set by the Legislature. The website sorts data by county, child's age and prior history.
Secretary Mike Carroll said the only way to end these fatalities is to know what issues families are facing and to use the data to meet their needs.
Critics have accused the agency of intentionally manipulating child abuse death investigations to make it appear fewer children were dying.
