Recent deaths prompt call for stepped-up state intervention

INDIANAPOLIS -- Advocates are calling on the state and the public to increase efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect following the deaths in recent days of three children whose families had prior contact with child welfare authorities.\nIndiana has averaged roughly one child abuse or neglect per week for the past decade, but three unrelated cases in six days is rare, said James W. Payne, director of the Department of Child Services.\n"We're reeling from all of this," Payne told The Indianapolis Star for a story Saturday. "I mean, what's going on here?"\nThe most recent victim, 7-year-old George Rawls of Gary, was found dead in his bed Thursday from what authorities described as a violent beating suffered the night before. Investigators have arrested his mother, Felicia Gordon, 27, and her boyfriend, Timothy D. Hampton, 29, of Hobart, on charges of neglect and murder. In the other two cases:\n-- Aiyana Gauvin, 4, of Lafayette was found dead Wednesday after being put to bed the night before by her stepmother, Michelle Gauvin, 33, who reportedly bound the child's wrists and placed duct tape over her mouth. Gauvin and the child's father, Christian Gauvin, 33, face preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death. They were being held Saturday in the Tippecanoe County Jail on $250,000 bond each.\nEight-month-old Romeo Randolph of Kokomo died March 12 after a baby sitter reportedly hit him in the head with her fist. Police said Megan Morris, 26, told them she "snapped" and struck Romeo as hard as she could because he would not stop crying. Morris was being held Saturday on a $150,000 bond after being charged with battery, child neglect and involuntary manslaughter.\nFifty-seven Hoosier children died from abuse or neglect during the 12 months ending June 30, 2004. Parents, their partners and other caregivers were responsible for most of those deaths, and the most common stress factor cited by state investigators was a lack of parenting skills.\n"If we don't do a better job of preparing ourselves to be parents and caregivers, the abuse and neglect issues are never going to go away," said Andrea Marshall, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana. "Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Everybody can use some help.\nThe three most recent victims all came from families with previous contact with the state's child protection system, the Star reported.\nPayne said other children in the three families have been taken into protective custody.\nNamed in January by Gov. Mitch Daniels to overhaul the state's troubled child welfare system, Payne said he and other officials are seeking ways to reach families sooner and more effectively. However, prevention funding often is one of the first casualties of tough economic times.\n"Those are the easiest things to cut because you can't always quantify their value."\nAssistance programs that target expecting and new parents have good success rates, but reach only a small percentage of those who could benefit.\nThe state's Healthy Families initiative, for instance, reaches only about 15 percent of the estimated 85,000 children born each year in Indiana, and its funding has remained flat for recent years.\nThe program targets families at risk for abuse and neglect due to factors such as the age and marital status of parents, the availability of support systems and economic hardship.