LAS VEGAS -- Police and prosecutors accuse the Department of Family Services of not doing enough to protect Las Vegas' most vulnerable kids.
For the last several months, the 8 News NOW I-Team has tracked a confidential review of those allegations, and it is nearly complete.
So far, Clark County has refused to discuss its review of a hundred plus child abuse cases hand-picked by police and prosecutors as examples of system failure. Physical and sexual abuse, even the murders of young children, despite the involvement of Child Protective Services.
Yet while the county remains tight-lipped, a significant portion of the review is nearly complete. The agency's own analysis of its cases.
Sources say the DFS began its review in late July by drafting a chronology of each disputed case.
Issues raised by the Clark County District Attorney's Office and the Metro Police Department include a reluctance to remove children from their alleged abusers and to pursue criminal charges against them, combined with an over-emphasis on family reunification.
Using specific detail, the department plans to provide a direct response to each issue and to offer its own recommendations, where appropriate, for improvements -- likely by the end of the week.
Where it goes from there however remains unclear.
The folks at DFS may be more eager than most to see it completed. The I-Team obtained a recent email directing DFS staff to hang in there as they deal with unpleasant and abusive treatment from the community related to the media coverage of this issue.
But despite repeated requests for information, the county will not say what the next step is in this process.
