Williams said the state is expanding its corrective action plan against the county, which was supposed to end in June. The state enacted the plan after voicing concerns that the county prioritized family togetherness over child safety in the wake of the drug overdose death of baby Phoenix Castro and fatal stabbing of 7-year-old Jordan Walker in 2023. Both deaths came after family members and social workers raised red flags about the children\u2019s foster placements. State officials are expected to be on-site at the Department of Family and Children\u2019s Services to conduct ongoing reviews of the agency\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
Juarez\u2019s death follows a county medical examiner report<\/a> in February that revealed three child abuse-related deaths \u2014 between 2022 and 2026 \u2014 happened after multiple referrals to the child welfare agency were dismissed. The report voiced concern the agency\u2019s policies minimize parental neglect and tended to conflate it with socioeconomically disadvantaged environments.<\/p>\n District Attorney Jeff Rosen\u2019s office has filed murder and felony assault charges against the cousin\u2019s teenage son accused of killing Juarez. Rosen has also signaled his criminal investigation could expand, and county officials might find themselves under the microscope.<\/p>\n \u201cA child under the watch of our (Social Services Agency) was murdered in Santa Clara County. Again,\u201d Rosen told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWe will relentlessly follow our investigation in any direction the evidence leads.\u201d<\/p>\n Juarez\u2019s death remains under county investigation, and comes more than a year after the resignation<\/a> of Family and Children\u2019s Services Director Damion Wright, who took over shortly after the death of Castro. Wright was succeeded by Wendy Kinnear-Rausch last June. She has been with the department since 1999.<\/p>\n The Mercury News in 2023 reported that Wright\u2019s predecessor, Daniel Little, gave county lawyers more power to block the removal of children from troubled families and aimed the agency\u2019s focus more on family healing through classes and programs. But social workers said those policies trumped child safety.<\/p>\n Little has since been promoted to director of the county Social Services Agency.<\/p>\n Lack of leadership<\/p>\n The Department of Family and Children\u2019s Services has since committed to reforming its child welfare policies and reversing certain practices that came under scrutiny in two different state reports. But those efforts have been rocky. In recent years, District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas has publicly rebuked the agency\u2019s progress, and its withholding of critical state reports on the county\u2019s corrective action plan at child welfare committee meetings.<\/p>\n A November state report on the county\u2019s progress wasn\u2019t made public until March, after repeated requests by Arenas. The report showed the agency was asking local law enforcement to handle allegations of child abuse in lieu of doing its own investigations. The report also said county caseworkers had ongoing fears of retaliation when they disagreed with management or County Counsel. There was also a lack of consistent messaging from executive leadership to explain policy changes.<\/p>\n \u201cThose involved must be held accountable,\u201d Arenas said at a Thursday news conference. \u201cThe loss of Baby Jaxon, Baby Phoenix and Jordan Walker weighs heavy on me as someone who has been trusted by our community to be a leader and decision-maker in this county.\u201d<\/p>\n The California Department of Social Services \u2014 which previously put the county under review for its child safety policies \u2014 is also conducting an independent probe into Juarez\u2019s death. Williams said he\u2019s requested the state expand its investigation into all the county\u2019s foster placements.<\/p>\n \u201cThe (California Department of Social Services) team was heartbroken to learn of this tragic incident,\u201d Jason Montiel, a spokesperson for the state agency, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cCollectively, we must do better to support our most vulnerable children and youth to ensure they are safe and can thrive. We are committed to working with our county partners, local agencies, other state departments, families, communities and advocates across the state to continuously improve California\u2019s child welfare system.\u201d<\/p>\n The NAACP of San Jose\/Silicon Valley has sent a letter to the county calling for accountability at the top levels of the agency. President Sean Allen said resignations of county officials no longer suffice.<\/p>\n \u201cThe county has made negligent decisions and they need to be held accountable both civilly and criminally because the community is paying the price,\u201d Allen told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n A report is expected upon the conclusion of the county\u2019s investigation into Juarez\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a horrific tragedy and my heart aches for this small child,\u201d Williams told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cKeeping children safe is an essential priority. We are committed to getting to the bottom of what happened and holding people accountable, where appropriate. We are doing everything we can to quickly understand all the facts and to take all appropriate actions. We are sending our deepest condolences to the family for their loss.\u201d<\/p>\n At the Thursday news conference, Williams said the county started investigating Juarez\u2019s case while he was still hospitalized.<\/p>\n
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