Listen to “Has Anything Changed Since Kyneddi Miller?” on Spreaker.
West Virginia Watch’s Amelia Knisely occupies an important niche in this state. She has become West Virginia’s leading reporter on child welfare and foster care issues. Her knowledge of the system is encyclopedic, and her work to raise public awareness of the state’s challenges has been relentless and fair. Imagine how much less we would know without her reporting.
Knisely’s latest piece is especially alarming.
In the aftermath of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller’s starvation death, West Virginia leaders announced a new child abuse referral system designed to better connect struggling families with help instead of automatically funneling them into Child Protective Services. But nearly two years later, that promised reform was never implemented.
The state paid roughly $223,000 to nonprofit Evident Change before canceling the contract and shifting to another model, leaving lawmakers frustrated and basic questions unanswered about who made the decision. The controversy comes against a troubling backdrop: West Virginia screens in CPS referrals at the highest rate in the nation, while a federal audit found the state failed to properly investigate most abuse and neglect reports reviewed.
The picture painted is one of systemic failure. A few observations:
First, lawmakers appear to have been left in the dark. State Senator Vince Deeds and Delegate Josh Holstein — Deeds, a longtime advocate for child welfare reform, and Holstein, who represents Boone County where Miller lived — reportedly learned of the situation through Knisely’s reporting.
It is reassuring to know those responsible for execution are keeping lawmakers so thoroughly informed on a key strategy meant to plug gaps in the system highlighted by the death of a 14-year old girl.
Isn’t it reasonable to expect legislators be officially informed by those in charge of a change in plan from what was contemplated, along with why the shift made sense?
Second, the story reveals a startling lack of promised transparency. When Knisely asked who decided not to implement Evident Change or who canceled the contract, she received no clear answer.
What became of the new era of transparency Patrick Morrisey promised at the start of his administration? Complete transparency means exactly that: complete. It also means timely transparency. The fact it reportedly took the state five months to respond to Knisely’s Freedom of Information Act request is hardly encouraging and doesn’t reinforce what Morrisey said on Talkline this past June.
“You’re not going to see the stonewalling. You’re not going to see the lack of transparency. We want to level up with everyone and say, ‘Now you get to know what’s going on a little bit more behind the scenes.’”
Third, accountability ultimately rests with the executive branch. A captain asleep in his cabin still bears responsibility if his officers run the ship aground.
“We haven’t made any improvements after Kyneddi as of yet,” Deeds told Knisely. “We have to make improvements. Not just allow it to be the same ole, same ole, over and over again.”
That responsibility rests squarely with Governor Morrisey as chief executive. He is the one now sitting in the chair. Debate if you like whether former Governor Jim Justice failed to act during his tenure – maybe he did – but that water is over the dam. Looking backward does not create solutions now, especially as Morrisey approaches a year and a half in office.
The Morrisey administration owes West Virginians answers to the legitimate questions raised in Knisely’s story, and the governor should personally fill in the gaps — he deserves the opportunity to address criticisms. His answers would allow West Virginians to assess if the state is improving or not. Short of that, it is difficult to see any improvement. And make no mistake: children’s lives depend on West Virginia doing better.