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County Executive Appoints Independent Expert Panel for Aniya Day-Garrett Case
Contacts:
Mary Louise Madigan: (216) 698-2521; mlmadigan@cuyahogacounty.us
“Aniya Day-Garrett’s death is a tragedy that tears at our hearts; our prayers are with all those who loved and cared for her. We will continue to cooperate with the prosecutor who is leading the criminal investigation of her mother and mother’s boyfriend. And we too must thoroughly investigate the case and our practices at the Department of Children and Family Services. For that reason, I have appointed an independent review panel of six respected local and national experts,” said County Executive Budish.
The panel was asked to independently:
Executive Budish also asked the panel for recommendations to prevent this tragedy from happening again.
The experts appointed to the Child Welfare Review Panel:
Members of the panel have already begun the review.
Mary Louise Madigan: (216) 698-2521; mlmadigan@cuyahogacounty.us
Review of Department of Children and Family Services Procedures
CLEVELAND – County Executive Armond Budish announced today that a panel of child welfare experts was appointed to review the recent case of four-year-old Aniya Day-Garrett.“Aniya Day-Garrett’s death is a tragedy that tears at our hearts; our prayers are with all those who loved and cared for her. We will continue to cooperate with the prosecutor who is leading the criminal investigation of her mother and mother’s boyfriend. And we too must thoroughly investigate the case and our practices at the Department of Children and Family Services. For that reason, I have appointed an independent review panel of six respected local and national experts,” said County Executive Budish.
The panel was asked to independently:
- Review the case and assess whether staff followed DCFS policies and procedures;
- Compare the time line of responses and services to the state guidelines for response times;
- Assess whether the investigation and case work reflect solid child welfare practice.
Executive Budish also asked the panel for recommendations to prevent this tragedy from happening again.
The experts appointed to the Child Welfare Review Panel:
- David Crampton PH.D., Associate Professor of Social Work at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at CWRU
- LaJean Ray, Director of the Fatima Family Center since 1997 and longtime community advocate
- Jan Flory, Child welfare expert with more than 30 years of experience including service with the New York City Division of Child Welfare
- Marsha Rose Wickliffe, Institute for Human Services, More than 30 years of child welfare experience, at the county, state, and national level with a focus on systems
- Adam G. Jacobs, Ph.D., President of Wingspan Care Group
- Lolita McDavid, MD MPA, Medical Director, Child Advocacy and Protection UH Cleveland Medical Center; Professor, Pediatrics, CWRU School of Medicine
Members of the panel have already begun the review.
