Suffolk CPS announces changes following death of 8-year-old boy
Additional CPS changes to help kids in the county are joint trainings, and combining locations of abuse teams.
Nov 7, 2024, 5:50 PM
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Changes are being made to Suffolk’s Child Protective Services (CPS) in the wake of Thomas Valva’s death.
The 8-year-old died after being forced to sleep in an unheated garage in January 2020.
In that case, at least 11 reports had been made to CPS by teachers, according to Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Changes already enacted include implementing the blind removal process where any personal information about a child or parent is taken out. Now, every case is reviewed by a group, and they know nothing about the case other than the facts.
Officials also say they are working on getting potential pay raises for people who work at the Department of Social Services.
Additional CPS changes to help kids in the county are joint trainings, and combining locations of abuse teams.
The Suffolk DA also wants the state law to change for law enforcement to be able to unseal unfounded reports from cps if necessary.
