Every politician has one or two issues that define them. For Jim Ward (D-Wichita), one of the first items to come to mind is the protection of children from child abuse. In 2015, he called for changes in the Kansas Department of Children & Families to end discriminatory practices. Those practices ended up leading to a child being moved into an abusive home.
In 2016, he wrote an editorial where he called for an end to lax practices and hiring, which he believed help lead to the child abuse deaths of several children.
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When I went before the Legislative Post Audit Committee last year demanding an audit of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), I did so for these reasons: Mekhi Boone, 4 years old; Caleb Blansett, 10 years old; Jayla Haag, 18 months old; Adrian Jones, 7 years old.
Today, as more news is revealed regarding the unbelievable circumstances surrounding the murder of Adrian Jones, a small child who was beaten daily according to his medical results and suffered in ways that are inhuman, the Wichita representative may have had enough. “What does it take to get fired, Governor Brownback?”
Speaking with me over the last few weeks, Representative Ward has made his case that a government that cannot protect small children is a government that needs change. “This is immoral” he announced to fellow representatives, “unthinkable”. What’s so unthinkable?
The case of Adrian Jones tells us a lot about the moral character of not just those who murdered him, but the people who all too often turned a blind eye.
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A complaint against Heather Jones was made about two months before Adrian Jones was placed with his biological father and stepmother. In the July 2011 complaint, an individual reported there were “guns all over the house” and no food in the cupboards.
DCF determined the report was unsubstantiated, and Adrian Jones was released to Michael Jones that September after being removed from his mother’s custody.
Three months later, DCF investigated a report that “the kids get spankings till their butts bleed” — actions that Michael and Heather Jones denied. DCF concluded the allegations were unsubstantiated.
The state of Kansas delivered a report on the matter, but a former director points out that the practices of Kansas Department of Children and Families may prevent us from ever really finding a solution:
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"He fell through the cracks because they did not use risks to determine his safety, they believed parents instead of the child,” said Keech.
“They did not gather all of the pertinent information, they did not have appropriate follow up and they did not hold those parents accountable. It's as simple as that."
Keech says the agency that is supposed to protect children, protects itself first, especially when it comes to child death cases.
"We are told not to document anything in emails regarding what we may not have done correctly," said Keech.
"So they are absolutely protecting themselves. They absolutely do not want any accountability and they don't want anybody to take a look and peer on the inside of what's going on," said Keech. “It is time for communities to hold child welfare accountable in both states."
While the Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) was busy covering their rear, another child was murdered.
The case surrounding Adrian Jones is truly troubling. A young boy who was kicked, beaten, and abused where the family was reported in multiple instances. His eventual murder by his family led to his remains being fed to pigs. Truly horrifying, but not the first such instance. It has only been a few years since the murder of Mekhi Boone, who by all reports was beaten over a course of years, to the point an ER doctor called it “the worst case of child abuse I’ve ever seen”.
All of these come on the heels of the state of Kansas changing DCF policy, hiring people with only a high school diploma as investigators — to save a few dollars.
Speaking to a Salina, Kansas audience last year, Jim Ward offered his thoughts: “Can we agree that government should protect children from being murdered? Can we just agree on that?”