County told to do more for its youth

Los Angeles County officials must do more to protect, treat and support at-risk youths, according to an annual report released this morning by the county’s Civil Grand Jury.

More than a fifth of county youths -- about 400,000 between the ages of 12 and 24 -- live in poverty, according to the panel. Many rely on county child welfare, medical and employment programs that could be better coordinated to save money and protect children from abuse, the panel found.

The panel highlighted the case of a 5-year-old South Los Angeles boy beaten and tortured by his mother for more than a year despite her repeated contact with county staff.

When the boy was discovered last June, his mother, Starkeisha Brown, was wanted for violating parole but had not been found by authorities, even though she was receiving welfare. County records showed she had been investigated and cleared by county child welfare staff a few years earlier.

The grand jury noted that if county departments had better coordinated electronic records, Brown’s son might have been removed sooner and been spared further abuse.

“The county owes it to its children, families and taxpayers to save lives, ensure public safety and prevent fraudulent activity through the use of technology,” the panel wrote.

The panel urged county supervisors to develop the Family and Children’s Index, a computer system created years ago and intended to allow various agencies -- including child welfare, probation, courts, clinics and the Sheriff’s Department -- to share information about children and their parents.

--

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com