Social workers from the Burlington office of DCF testified in early August at a legislative hearing on child protection. From left, Nancy Miller, Alyssa Dawson, Tracy Brown and Chelsea Aiken. (Photo by Laura Krantz/VTDigger)
MONTPELIER — The number of alleged child abuse or neglect cases filed in courts across Vermont last year grew 21 percent from the year before, according to data from the state.
In some counties, the number of cases filed grew much more than that; in Lamoille County, there were 300 percent more cases filed in fiscal 2014 than the year before.
The Department for Children and Families attributes the rise not to the recent child deaths, but to the impact of opiate addiction on child safety. One state prosecutor said chronic homelessness is also a huge factor.
This type of case is filed in juvenile court and is known as a CHINS (child in need of (care or) supervision) case. [Read Full Article]