What Trumps A Child's Best Interests In Vermont Officialdom and the Courts???

Why reuniting the child with its abusive parents at all costs, of course. Unbelievable; ridiculous; absurd you say?! Well,  according to an independent investigation ordered by Gov. Schumlin into the recent deaths of two Vermont toddlers in the care of and under the supervision of the Vermont Department of Children and Families, their deaths were caused by just that. The report stated, ‘‘An incorrect perception appears to exist among casework staff, the Family Courts, and others in the system that ‘reunification at all costs’ is the formal policy of the department’’ and ‘‘takes priority over the best interests of the child,’’  

Any child services worker, social worker, lawyer, judge or law enforcement officer should know a priori that the best interests of the child is the star that guides caregivers and child protection professionals through the deep, dark night of child abuse.

Will the workers at DCF who so miserably failed these children be held accountable? I would think and hope so. But no, ‘‘We do not look at these matters as ‘somebody did something wrong,’ ’’ according to DCF Commissioner Ken Schatz. Rather, Schatz opined, ‘‘We look forward to a process of improvement. I know our staff are very committed to that,’’ Wrongful death suits are pending, being brought by the very parents whose alleged abuse caused the toddlers' deaths. Go figure.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/11/22/report-overtaxed-social-workers-police-failed-children/4LGRSzdEt7hZRzRNd6GrdO/story.html