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Before closed meeting, officials promise answers in boy's death

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Gina Barton

The Journal Sentinel

Officials from the state Division of Children and Family Services and the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare said this morning they are working diligently to investigate the death of 13-month-old Christopher Thomas - but they will do it in secret.

Although some officials, including Denise Revels Robinson, director of the bureau, made brief statements this morning at a meeting of the Milwaukee Child Welfare Partnership Council, they would not say whether the case worker assigned to Christopher's case had been suspended or disciplined; nor would they release any other information about their investigation thus far.

The partnership council, an advisory board made up of children's services workers, legislators and community members, was established in 1995. They meet quarterly and review deaths and "egregious incidents" concerning children in the Milwaukee County welfare system. Among other things, they are supposed to make recommendations for improvement to the state, which took over the county system in 1998 as the result of a lawsuit.

A special meeting of the council was convened today to discuss Christopher's death.

A preliminary report is expected in mid-January with a final report to follow 60 days after that, said Cyrus Behroozi, administrator for the state division of safety and permanence. That is the soonest the findings could be made public. However, there are half a dozen other criteria that must be met, including approval from Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, who is overseeing the prosecution of Crystal P. Keith, 24.

Keith, Christopher's paternal aunt, was providing foster care for the baby after he was removed from his parents' care and from the home of a West Allis couple who wanted to adopt him. She is charged with reckless homicide and physical abuse of a child in Christopher's Nov. 11 death, and the serious injury of his 2-year-old sister. According to a criminal complaint, she admitted repeatedly beating both children, who came to live with her in June.

Reggie Bicha, secretary of the state Department of Children and Families, called Christopher's death and the abuse of his sister "inexcusable and unacceptable." Major changes in the Milwaukee County child welfare system will be made as a result, Bicha said, but he didn't elaborate on what those changes might be.

"I am very troubled by what I have learned so far," he said.

Revels Robinson, too, said she had been both personally and professionally affected by Christopher's death.

"We are all very saddened and very much affected by this very, very difficult situation," she said.

She and her staff will work to figure out what happened to Christopher and why, as well as how things can be improved, she said. Although she issued a written statement in the immediate aftermath of Christopher's death last month, Revels Robinson has not returned reporters' phone calls in intervening weeks.

Bicha said he had instructed Revels Robinson to focus on her job and avoid talking with the media since Christopher's death. Bicha said he and Behroozi would continue to be available to the media but are limited by state law in terms of what they can say. In response to a question from state Sen. Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee), who serves on the partnership council, Bicha said the secrecy provisions of the law are "terribly frustrating." At the same time, the public's need for information, which is necessary to provide checks on the child welfare system, must be balanced with the privacy of the children whose lives are affected, he said.

"The statute is definitely worth taking a look at," he said.

Legislators already are doing just that. State Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) has promised to introduce a bill to mandate more transparency when the Legislature reconvenes in January.

However, for today, the secrecy remains. After those brief preliminary remarks, the council went into closed session, removing the public from the conference room before they discussed any details of Christopher's case.

2008 Dec 5