Iowa House panel to launch investigation of child welfare system

DES MOINES - Days after Gov. Terry Branstad warned that Democratic prying into state child welfare services could negatively impact a criminal prosecution a House Republican announced the Government Oversight Committee will launch its own investigation.

Government Oversight Committee Chairman Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, doesn't want to interfere with the Polk County Attorney's Office prosecution in the case of Natalie Finn, a 16-year-old West Des Moines girl who died from emaciation last October because of the denial of critical care, according to a coroner's report.

'The House Government Oversight committee is exploring the possibility of bringing in the Department of Human Services to have them walk committee members through the process of how reports for child placement, follow-up, child abuse, or neglect are handled,” Kaufmann told colleagues on the committee. 'The committee wants to understand how this process works so that we can look at ways to prevent another tragic situation like the Natalie Finn case.

'We are not interested in politicizing this tragic situation or jeopardizing an ongoing criminal investigation,” Kaufmann continued.

DHS welcomes a discussion with the Oversight panel 'about the authority the Legislature provides DHS to investigate allegations, about how our policies and procedures are established, as well discussing our efforts toward continuous quality improvement,” spokeswoman Amy McCoy said.

Branstad is not happy with the Democrats on the Senate Government Oversight Committee having informal hearings to look into the state's child welfare system. So far, DHS officials have declined to appear to answer questions, they said.

However, as long as they don't jeopardize the prosecution in the Finn case, Branstad also would 'support an effort by legislators to learn more information about the overall adoption, child welfare and foster care systems at the Department of Human Services,” his spokesman Ben Hammes said.

Kaufmann will invite the Senate Government Oversight Committee to join the investigation. Chairman Michael Breitbach, R-Strawberry Point, expects senators will work with the House panel, but was hesitant about how deep they could delve into child-welfare issues at this time.

'It's a very delicate situation right now. There is a legal case going on and the last thing I want to do is interfere with that proceeding and murder trial,” Breitbach said.

He and Kaufmann agree on that. The investigation should 'thoughtful and prudent” without politicizing the Finn case or being conducted with a 'gotcha attitude.”

Breitbach seemed to see a more limited scope of investigation than Kaufmann.

'I believe that the DHS has reviewed all of their staffing options over the past years and I think they feel comfortable with where they're at and the training that they're doing, but otherwise I just can't go further,” Breitbach said.

Later, Breitbach said he hasn't talked to Kaufmann and that Senate Republicans may not meet jointly with the House.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, agreed that lawmakers' role is not the criminal investigation, but to look at the system to see if it meets Iowan's needs. House Republicans, she said, are 'very interested” in knowing whether the state has an adequate system that serves the needs of Iowa children.

'The Legislature has no role in a criminal case,” Upmeyer said in rejecting suggestions lawmakers should have become involved earlier. 'Our job is to look at the system. Do we not have adequate systems? That's our question. Do we have a system in place that serves the needs of Iowans? That's the question that we should fairly ask and pursue?”

'Our job is the function of state government,” House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, said. While he wants to see the criminal case proceed, 'As these things come to light, we also want to look at state government and the overall process that DHS or others have to try to prevent that in the future.”

House Government Oversight Committee member Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, suggested inviting law enforcement to explain its role in child welfare cases in order to understand whether there are gaps in the law.

Des Moines bureau reporter Rod Boshart contributed to this story

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