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The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors grappled with official findings that most child deaths reviewed between 2021 and 2023 were avoidable. San Jose Spotlight file photo.<\/p>\nThe Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors grappled with official findings that most child deaths reviewed between 2021 and 2023 were avoidable. San Jose Spotlight file photo.<\/p>\n
Santa Clara County has seen an encouraging decline in child death rates, while simultaneously being marred by repeat tragedies and scandals as a result of bad homes and youth welfare leaders bungling foster cases.<\/p>\n The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday grappled with official findings that most deaths of children under the county\u2019s care between 2021 and 2023 \u2014 a time when the county was in a\u00a0pandemic lockdown and transitioning out of it<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 were avoidable. A\u00a0February county medical examiner report<\/a>\u00a0studied 108 out of a total 315 child deaths and found an increasing trend of deaths occurring in dysfunctional households, with issues such as drug use and school truancy being factors in some cases.<\/p>\n The report shows 12 children died by neglect; 12 from homicide by parents, guardians or third parties; 17 died from inadequate caretaking; 15 from drug overdoses; 22 died by suicide; and 18 deaths were deemed to be connected with other adolescent high-risk behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first time that a child death review item has ever been heard in front of the board, which to me is unbelievable,\u201d District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, who has been championing child welfare reforms, said at the meeting. \u201c(The report) clearly states most of the deaths were preventable. That is a real shame.\u201d<\/p>\n Arenas called for staff to report back with a plan for how county departments can use childhood trauma information to better support families, as well as an analysis on how state and federal laws limit the county\u2019s ability to investigate abuse allegations.<\/p>\n Officials balanced the findings from the county medical examiner report with more positive trends. Public health officials at the meeting said the all-cause death rate among youth ages 0-17 has decreased from an average of 29.8 deaths per 100,000 children from 2015 through 2019 to 27 deaths per 100,000 children from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the county\u2019s child death rate was well below state and national averages of 37 and 49.4 deaths per 100,000 children, respectively.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do see a statistically significant improvement,\u201d Sarah Rudman, health officer and director of the Public Health Department, said at the meeting. \u201cThis overall improvement happened despite the onset of fentanyl in our community, which we know is a national trend.\u201d<\/p>\n It comes as the state is\u00a0expanding\u00a0 its oversight of the county\u2019s child welfare system<\/a>, which has seen three child foster death scandals in three years. Just days before the supervisors\u2019 discussion, another child \u2014 an 8-year-old girl \u2014 died after being taken off life support. She was found unresponsive in a home that authorities said was the subject of multiple child welfare calls.<\/p>\n In April, the county placed 10 social workers on leave following the alleged sexual assault and killing of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez, who the county\u2019s\u00a0Department of Family and Children\u2019s Services<\/a>\u00a0placed in the home of a cousin with a criminal record of child endangerment.<\/p>\n The report also revealed three other child abuse-related deaths occurred after multiple referrals to the child welfare agency were dismissed. The report voiced concern that a recent state law \u2014 Assembly Bill 2085 \u2014 compels the county to conflate parental neglect with socioeconomically disadvantaged environments.<\/p>\n There were 1,203 children receiving county child welfare services in February 2025 \u2014 with roughly 600 in out-of-home placements such as foster care and group homes,\u00a0according to a county report<\/a>.<\/p>\n The county is working to implement reforms and recommendations from the report and the state relating to child welfare policies. Board President Otto Lee voiced concern these efforts come at a time of major cuts as the county\u00a0struggles to absorb its worst budget shortfall<\/a>\u00a0in the last few decades.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need more direct investment and prevention, screening, education, services to prevent more baby deaths,\u201d Lee said at the meeting. \u201cSo while we are doing this, are we cutting too much? Do we need to reduce and remove these cuts to suicide prevention services?\u201d<\/p>\n County Executive James Williams said his budget recommendations have taken pains to minimize impacts on children and youth. He said some early proposals to cut social workers and probation services were left out of the final proposal.<\/p>\n \u201cThat necessitated identifying cuts elsewhere at the county organization,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n The county continues to work on child welfare reforms in light of Juarez\u2019s death. His case also remains under investigation. A common criticism of the county revolves around policies prioritizing family togetherness over child safety.<\/p>\n Some public speakers on Tuesday criticized county leaders for deflecting blame for their policies onto the overworked social workers tasked with carrying them out \u2014 often without clear direction or with contradicting messages. Others cautioned against knee-jerk reactions leading to an increase in child removals.<\/p>\n \u201cRemovals are harmful and don\u2019t guarantee safety,\u201d Maggie Cockayne, a family defense attorney at the Dependency Advocacy Center, said at the meeting. \u201cIn fact, increases in child welfare cases only spread staff more thin. Stop the foster care panic, listen to the experts and don\u2019t let emotions dictate policy.\u201d<\/p>\n