ATLANTA (AP) — An Atlanta newspaper reports that epic failures by Georgia's child welfare system have given the state one of the nation's highest rates of death by abuse and neglect.
The Journal-Constitution reports that dozens of Georgia children die from maltreatment each year despite intervention by the state's child protection agency.
The newspaper examined 2,230 child deaths reported statewide between January 2011 and July 2013. It said 10 deaths occurred in fires after parents left children home alone. Eleven resulted from what was termed accidental drug and alcohol ingestion, but the newspaper reported the findings often seemed incongruous to the ages of the victims. In one case the victim was 33 days old.
