Report Says CPS Failed

For weeks, a local father begged Child Protective Services to protect his young son from suspected abuse. Three-year-old Michael Kekoa Ravenell died after his mother's boyfriend allegedly choked and beat him.

A blistering new report by the Department of Health and Human Services criticizes CPS for its handling of the case, and warns that the problems with this case may be statewide.

CPS spokesman Thomas Shapley: "Policy wasn't followed, procedure wasn't followed, and that the supervision wasn't adequate to make sure that policy was followed."

The CPS social worker never checked Thomas' background. He had a prior conviction for abusing his own children who were 2 and 4 years old.

The social worker never had a doctor examine the boy even though his father had informed her about the bruises.

The report also questions the then-new social worker's training and supervision, and adds the problems may be statewide.

The report states the current training programs for new employees "are not sufficient to teach and train new employees who have no direct experience or knowledge of child welfare."

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Report: CPS failed in abuse case