It looks like the attention given to Haleigh's plight by The Republican, other media and concerned people and us has paid off in a better system. Her own plight is not resolved yet but similar cases are now more unlikely thanks to the spotlight shone on her.
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Haleigh Poutre of Westfield was 11 years old when she was admitted to a Springfield hospital in a comatose state after police said she suffered severe brain injuries as a result of a beating by her adoptive mother and stepfather.
How could the state Department of Social Services, which had been supervising Haleigh's adoptive mother, have failed Haleigh so terribly?
Haleigh is now 13 years old and, sadly, the same question is being asked.
It is a miracle that she is alive. The DSS sought to end Haleigh's life support eight days after she was admitted to the hospital and just six days after obtaining temporary custody of her.
On Jan. 17, 2006, the Supreme Judicial Court gave the agency permission to remove her from life support. The day after the ruling, Haleigh was breathing on her own and responding to commands. She now resides in a Boston rehabilitation hospital.
A state commission, appointed by former Gov. W. Mitt Romney, found that the Western Massachusetts DSS offices receive about 1,000 reports of abuse or neglect every month, nearly twice the number of reports received in Boston.
Haleigh's tragic case has underscored weaknesses in the child welfare system. In an effort to address those weaknesses, House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has filed legislation requiring written second opinions and recommendations from an ethics committee in end-of-life cases, the creation of a Cabinet-level secretary of child welfare and a 19-member advisory board on child abuse and neglect and minimum education requirements for social workers.
We applaud DiMasi for his work on this important piece of legislation. The child welfare system is complex, but that doesn't mean it can't be fixed.
While we expect there will be some changes in the legislation before it becomes law, we urge the Statehouse to act judiciously and quickly so that no child will ever have to suffer as Haleigh Poutre has suffered.
DSS reforms could save children's lives
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