The state agency tasked with investigating child abuse plans to lower the amount of evidence needed to substantiate a claim of abuse or neglect.
Department for Children and Families Secretary Phyllis Gilmore told lawmakers Tuesday the agency will decrease the standard of evidence it uses when investigating from “clear and convincing” to “preponderance of the evidence.”
In effect, the change will mean that only 51 percent of the evidence needs to point to abuse or neglect actually taking place in order for a claim to be substantiated.
The change doesn’t constrain judges, who decide whether to remove a child from a home. But it will make it easier for DCF to get individuals accused of abusing or neglecting a child onto a state registry.
The post Kansas DCF plans to lower evidence standard in evaluating child abuse appeared first on Parent Security Online.
View full post on Parent Security Online