Ohio child abuse database draws complaints

COLUMBUS (AP) — Local child welfare agencies in Ohio complain that the state is too slow to correct errors in a new database for tracking abused and neglected children.

Officials in Franklin County, which includes Columbus, say it has taken up to six months for wrong information in the system to be fixed.

At the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, deputy chief of staff Michael McCreight says the state is working to streamline the process so revisions are posted more quickly.

Franklin County Children Services chief Eric Fenner says the system often shows families are still under investigation long after caseworkers have determined that the underlying reports of abuse or neglect were mistaken. He calls the database delays unacceptable.