DCS continues to roll out program to provide mental health services to youth

INDIANAPOLIS | Twenty-five Indiana children are receiving mental health services as part of state officials' pledge to close a funding gap, said an Indiana Department of Child Services official.

Plans to improve state child services agency set to become law

INDIANAPOLIS | State lawmakers have given the Department of Child Services all the new tools they believe the agency needs to protect Hoosier children from abuse and neglect.

More than 350 attend forum on child abuse, neglect

GARY | William Kellibrew IV was 10 years old the day he says he stared down a gun and begged for his life.

State report: 5 region children died of abuse, neglect injuries in a year

INDIANAPOLIS | Northwest Indiana was home to five of Indiana's 40 children who died of abuse or neglect between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011, a state report released Monday shows.

Hobart vigil raises awareness of child neglect, abuse

House OKs abuse disclosure requirement for child custody

INDIANAPOLIS | Another recommendation of the Legislature's 2012 Department of Child Services study committee is edging closer toward becoming law.

DCS official: First leg of pilot project went 'better than planned'

INDIANAPOLIS | The first phase of state officials' plan to close the gap in mental health services for children has been a success, one official said.

Griffith man sentenced to 30 years in fatal neglect case

CROWN POINT | A Griffith man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday in the 2010 death of his then-girlfriend's 3-year-old son.

Harvey man gets 3 years for placing baby in scalding water

CROWN POINT | A 23-year-old Harvey, Ill., man was given a three-year sentence for placing an infant in a bathtub of scalding water, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter announced Monday.

Panel endorses bill speeding prosecutor aid to endangered children

INDIANAPOLIS | The Commission on Mental Health and Addiction on Monday unanimously approved the draft of a bill that would temporarily give prosecutors back the ability to file petitions alleging a child is a danger to himself or herself.

Defense: Griffith man did 'dumb things' before boy's death

CROWN POINT | Defendant Levi Hiatt knew he had seriously injured a 3-year-old left in his care, deputy prosecuting attorney Angela Brown said Tuesday as she opened a murder case against the Griffith man.

Trial begins for Griffith man charged in death of ex-girlfriend's son

CROWN POINT | The trial of a Griffith man facing murder charges in the death of his then-girlfriend's 3-year-old son began Monday with jury selection.

Indiana DCS director resigns over involvement in case

INDIANAPOLIS | The director of the Indiana Department of Child Services resigned Monday amid allegations he improperly intervened in a DCS neglect case involving his grandchildren.

State officials offer solution to meet mental health needs of children

INDIANAPOLIS | State officials unveiled a plan Monday hoping to ensure parents don't have to plead guilty to neglect in order to secure services for their children with mental illnesses or developmental disabilities.

DCS official: 'We have challenges'

INDIANAPOLIS | A top Indiana Department of Child Services official told state legislators Wednesday that concerns voiced by many people regarding the agency have been "very legitimate."

Legislative committee to look at DCS issues

INDIANAPOLIS | On Aug. 22, the General Assembly's interim study committee on the Indiana Department of Child Services will convene the first in a series of meetings to discuss the state agency's policies and procedures.

Chicago woman, 27, accused of leaving kids in car at casino

CROWN POINT | A Chicago woman is charged with four felony counts of child neglect for allegedly leaving her children in her car overnight while she frequented a Gary casino.