Safety procedures in place in Indiana for social workers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The deaths of two young boys in Washington state have social work advocates taking a second look at the trade and the safety procedures in place.

That’s after a social worker brought two young boys to see their father, Josh Powell, on a supervised visit. Police said the boys ran ahead of her, and Powell shut the door, then used a hatchet on the boys, then blew up the home.

24-Hour News 8 looked into the safety procedures here in Indiana when it comes to social workers, and found there are questions asked before a social worker ever knocks on a door.

“We are involved in literally life and death decisions, recommendations and challenges involving life of the child. In that case, [in Washington state] ... it was a simple visit," said James Payne, director of Indiana Department of Child Services. "Although in reflection, it wasn’t really simple, was it?”

Payne said it's situations like that that have the Indiana Department of Child Services focusing on safety.

“When you knock on that door, and step over that threshold, you are in their environment. That requires a great deal of respect," he said. "and it also requires a great deal of caution.”

So even before case workers head out, each call is screened. Multiple questions are asked about the situation.

“We want to make sure before they go knock on the door, they are prepared before that, so we have a very structured interview tool,” said Andrea Goodwin, Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline director.

The Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline receives 600 calls a day from all 92 Indiana counties. In 2011, they took in 146,000 calls. That’s about 15,000 more than 2010.

Case workers receive 12 weeks of training to start, then 20 hours more every year. In October, the department started a new program to hire retired detectives to accompany case workers if needed.