Computer system for foster cases works well

CLEVELAND (AP) — A new statewide computer system designed to track abused and neglected foster children is working well, according to officials in Ohio’s most populous county, which initially refused to sign on because of technical problems.

The $90 million Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System collects data on child abuse and neglect cases, making it easier for child welfare agencies to track abusers and victims instead of independent county-by-county databases.

Officials in Cuyahoga County refused to come on board when the state ordered counties to do so in June. The county, which includes Cleveland, joined the system in early December.

About 40,000 kids pass through Cuyahoga County’s child welfare system each year — about one-fourth of the state’s foster care caseload.

The new system links all 88 counties in Ohio, allowing foster children’s cases to be tracked across jurisdictional lines.

Officials had complained about persistent computer glitches that made the system inaccessible much of the time.

Reforming the state’s foster care system became a hot-button issue after a 3-year-old boy was killed near Cincinnati in August 2006. Marcus Fiesel was left bound inside a closet for two days by his foster parents, Liz Carroll and David Carroll Jr. Both were convicted of murder and are serving life sentences.