In the third week of October alone, Rush said, she placed 13 children in foster care -- all a result of alleged molestation within the children's homes. Parental substance abuse also has contributed to a stream of vulnerable children entering the foster care program, while the number of foster homes locally has not increased.

The news, however, isn't all bad.
Among the improvements Rush has seen this year:
- A significant increase in child protection caseworkers at the Tippecanoe County office of the Indiana Department of Child Services expected by next March.
- Increased cooperation and communication between agencies charged with child protection.
- An influx of volunteers into the court-appointed special advocate (CASA) program and county funding to make the CASA program director's job full time.
- Formation of a new foster parent support group.

Angela Smith Grossman, who was appointed acting director of the Tippecanoe County Child Services office after Aiyana's death, said the Indiana Legislature's appropriation of funds to increase the number of family caseworkers by 50 percent statewide this year will increase the staff in Tippecanoe County to 21 by March. It is now 14.

Each of the new hires will undergo 12 weeks of training before starting to work with families.

"Instead of having people come in and accept a caseload, day one, and be trained sometime over the course of the next year, they do all the training up front," Grossman said.

"So it's an adjustment for us, but ultimately it's going to have a positive benefit. So far, the new people that have come on board have demonstrated that it's working."

Changes ordered

In the aftermath of Aiyana's death, Rush issued a standing order that requires Child Services to investigate every report of neglect or abuse involving a child who has been in the child protection system previously.

One of the brewakdowns cited in reviews of Aiyana's case was that a report to Child Services from Aiyana's biological mother, Cassandra Robinson, that Aiyana was being abused by her stepmother, Michelle Gauvin, was "screened out," or dismissed without being investigated, in February 2005.

A month later, Aiyana was found beaten to death. Michelle Gauvin now is charged with her murder.

Rush also prodded Child Services and other agencies to be more aggressive about posting information about families in the child protection system on Quest, a confidential database software system that various agencies involved with child protection use to share information about at-risk children.

The system integrates information from the juvenile court, juvenile probation, Child Services, human services, the public schools and the prosecutor's office.

At Rush's insistence, police agencies have begun posting on Quest reports of domestic violence in homes where children live -- whether or not children were present at the time of the incident.

'A lot of interaction'

And Grossman said the improved interagency communication goes beyond Quest. She said her caseworkers are being asked to take an active role with police officers involved in drug investigations connected to homes where children live.

"We've had a lot of interaction with law enforcement over the last six months," Grossman said, "meeting with them regularly, making sure we're on the same page."

The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department, criticized for not fully investigating at least one previous report of abuse against Aiyana, also is taking more precautions in child neglect and abuse cases.

Since Aiyana, sheriff's deputies now forward a written report to Child Services the next day whenever they investigate a complaint of abuse or neglect against a child, whether or not the report is substantiated by evidence.

Unsusbtantiated complaints are lodged frequently at the end of each weekend, Sheriff Smokey Anderson said, after noncustodial parents drop their children off with ex-spouses or ex-partners they don't get along with.

"Every Sunday night, our shift commanders say, we get several of those," Anderson said.

Based on Child Services statistics, it appears the rate of abuse and neglect reports has increased in the county.

In the seven months before March, the office received 1,279 reports of abuse and neglect. In the seven months after Aiyana's death, the office received 1,539 reports, an increase of 260.

Too much scrutiny?

Members of Aiyana's family have witnessed heightened interest in the well being of Aiyana's two older siblings -- to the point of excessive interest, in their opinions.

Earlier this month, according to Aiyana's mother, Child Services received a complaint about suspected abuse of Aiyana's 7-year-old brother, who is in the custody of his maternal grandparents.

Both Robinson and Dean Sliger, the father of Aiyana's older sister, said the complaint was unfounded. However, it prompted Child Services and Lafayette police to take the boy out of the home and conduct a 90-minute interview.

Robinson worries the increased scrutiny could have negative effects on her two surviving children if it continues for years into the future.

"My kids have already had to deal with a great deal," she said. "The last thing they need is this. ... Every time they scrape their knee, someone's going to be harassing them because they screwed up with Aiyana.

"They're young enough now to bounce back, but if it goes on for too long ... ," Robinson said, her voice trailing off.

Deputy Chief John Dennis of the Lafayette Police Department declined to comment on that specific investigation. But he said the child protection system's handling of any one case has to be viewed in a larger context.

And the Aiyana case has demonstrated the need for diligence at every level.

"One of the most important things that this community has learned is that a system is only as good as the components that make up that system," Dennis said. "And in this (Aiyana's) case, some of those components could have done a better job."

From Journal and Courier Online