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Podcasts Take Two
Report: LA child welfare system in state of emergency
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Apr 10, 2014
Listen • 9:39
Report: LA child welfare system in state of emergency
Today the Blue Ribbon Commission is poised to vote on a report, a report which declares a state of emergency for LA County's abused and neglected children.
Gabriel Fernandez, 8, of Palmdale, was tortured and murdered, allegedly by his mother and her boyfriend.
Gabriel Fernandez, 8, of Palmdale, was tortured and murdered, allegedly by his mother and her boyfriend. Four county child services workers involved with his case have been notified they will be fired.
(
NBC L.A.
)

Today the Blue Ribbon Commission is poised to vote on a report, a report which declares a state of emergency for LA County's abused and neglected children.

We begin today with a look at the state of child protection in Los Angeles County. Last June, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors created a Blue Ribbon Commission on Child Protection.

The move came in the wake of the death of Gabriel Fernandez in Palmdale. The boy was tortured to death, allegedly by his mother and her boyfriend, this after social workers repeatedly dismissed warnings that the 8-year-old was being beaten at home. 

Today the Blue Ribbon Commission is poised to vote on a report, a report which declares a state of emergency for LA County's abused and neglected children. Joining the show is Daniel Heimpel, an executive with fostering media connections, a nonprofit focusing on journalism around child welfare issues.