Official says state should have central abuse reporting system in wake of Atalissa case

DES MOINES - State Ombudsman William Angrick said he's disappointed the state's Department of Human Services did not start a statewide centralized abuse reporting system after a high profile child abuse case in 2000. 

Angrick expressed his frustrations with lawmakers Thursday in light of the probe in Atalissa, where 21 men with mental retardation were found living in a bunkhouse with no heat and boarded up windows.

Some of the men were found to be malnourished after they were rescued from the bunkhouse in February, and the case has sparked a criminal probe and finger pointing among government officials.

DHS failed to intervene in the Atalissa case despite at least one complaint from the public, and Angrick is once again pushing his recommendation that the agency have a single point of contact for reports of possible abuse.

"We saw that as a major issue with regard to the failings of the system back in 2000 with Shelby Duis, and I think that there is some analogous lesson to be learned in what has happened recently," Angrick said.

DHS spokesman Roger Munns said the agency did implement a new reporting system after the case of Shelby Duis. The toddler died despite reports to state officials that she was being abused.

Previously, the DHS took abuse reports at each of its 99 county offices, which resulted in wildly divergent practices, Munns said.

"You had some people taking almost every intake, and others having a much different standard," Munns said.

Now they take reports in each of eight service areas of the state by trained staff. That practice has narrowed regional differences and made the process more professional, Munns said.

After business hours, there is one centralized reporting system and people are on call in the event of an emergency.

Munns said they have not had they money to create a full-time statewide reporting system.