Indiana, Oh Indiana

"Round my Indiana homestead wave cornfields,
In the distance loom the woodlands clear and cool.
Often times my thoughts revert to scenes of childhood,
Where I first received my lessons, nature's school..."

These lyrics are from the Indiana State Song, "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" by Paul Dresser.

I was struck by the songwriter's reference to childhood. Like so many authors, "childhood" has this romantic notion -- a bliss-filled naivety, a simple world, a wonderous time. But for many of the children in Indiana, and across the country childhood is a time of terror. They live in an abusive or neglectful household, barely getting their needs met and facing daily challenges. In 2007, Indiana ranked eighth nationally in the rate of child abuse and neglect deaths.

I found it interesting that it was not in my daily poring over the Indiana Star that I learned about a state initiative to try and help the abused children of Indiana. Rather it was in the Journal Gazette online in an article by Angela Mapes Turner where I first heard about the state's abuse hotline.

According to state officials, prior to the launching of this hotline, calls reporting alleged cases of child abuse or neglect were being handled in 380 different ways across the state. Depending on time of day and the county of origin, calls could be handled by administrative assistants, law enforcement agencies or outsourced phone banks.

According to Ann Houseworth, spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Child Services, the hotline will be staffed by specially trained family case managers. Department of Child Services Director James W. Payne states that at least 13 other states are known to have a central hotline for the reporting of child abuse and neglect, many for a decade or more. Officials did work with representatives from those other hotlines in crafting the new system, which aims to improve uniformity of receiving, interpreting and decidion-making related to reports taken by hotline staff. Providing field family case managers more time to focus on following up reports and partnering with families is also an additional goal.

Some are critical of the increased complexity centraliziation can bring, including Allen County Superior Court Judge Stephen Sims. "You've put in an extra layer, because the parties that respond are going to have to be local." Allen County Superior Court Judge Charles F. Pratt added, "It becomes increasingly difficult to hold people accountable [when] you widen the crack in which people can be lost."

The state is piloting the service in Marion County, hoping to add at least another region next month. However, as a Marion County resident interested in the subject... I don't know the number.