RALEIGH --In 2004, the state of North Carolina reported a 9 percent decline in child abuse cases. This came with a 5 percent increase in the number of cases investigated, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reports. "We gave social workers new tools to help them make better decisions, and they're working," said Jo Ann Lamm, director of Family Support and Child Welfare Services. "Across the state, all county departments of social services follow the same process when deciding whether to investigate an allegation of abuse. When they do investigate, they all have the same decision-making process to...