Missing 2-year-old's ordeal prompts changes at DCF
Missing 2-year-old's ordeal prompts changes at DCF 'We failed Courtney Clark,' the chief said. She was rescued from a grisly crime scene. Sarah Langbein | Sentinel Staff Writer June 27, 2007 Florida's child-welfare system "failed" a 2-year-old girl taken from her Central Florida home and later found at a scene of death and torture in Wisconsin, the head of the state's Department of Children & Families said Tuesday. "I find it unconscionable that human failures throughout the system allowed Courtney Clark to be missing for more than four months without it ever being reported," DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth said at a news conference where he announced changes as a result of the case. "The agencies involved in this mistake allowed bureaucratic protocols to prevent direct and personal contact that should have occurred early in this case. "We failed Courtney Clark." The girl was located June 14 in Portage, Wis., four months after a missing-child alert was issued. She was found living in a home where an 11-year-old boy had been tortured and where his mother, Tammie Garlin, a former Sanford woman, was found buried in a backyard garden. Also living there were Courtney's parents, Candace Clark and Michael Sisk; Garlin's longtime lover Michaela Clerc; Garlin's 15-year-old daughter, Felicia -- all charged in the abuse and slaying -- and Courtney's two younger siblings. Findings of an internal DCF investigation into the child's case were released Tuesday. They illustrate "inexcusable" missteps by caseworkers and paint a disturbing picture of how the child -- moved from homes in Pinellas, Seminole and Lake counties -- slipped through the cracks and ultimately landed her in a home fraught with barbaric physical abuse and criminal activity. Butterworth said he was most concerned about the lack of urgency in finding and caring for Courtney. Her mother took her from the foster family Sept. 23, 2006, but DCF and contracted-care agencies, including the Sarasota Family YMCA, didn't act on information about her disappearance for months. Butterworth also pointed to egregious breakdowns in communication and in the systems charged with overseeing the state's abused and neglected children. As a result, Butterworth has implemented the following changes: A child-location specialist, placed in each of DCF's five regions, will coordinate communication about missing children with criminal-justice authorities and the community-based care providers. A director of criminal-justice services will be appointed as DCF's lead contact for law-enforcement, correctional and judicial issues. A proposal for new legislation will be drafted, requiring local law enforcement to immediately take reports of missing children from DCF and its contracted care providers. Training programs will be strengthened for child-welfare employees at all levels. A new panel of judges, state attorneys, law enforcement and DCF employees will be created to evaluate the current child-welfare system and suggest ways to improve it. "We are not going to tolerate children going missing," Butterworth said. Courtney Clark first entered the child-welfare system in February 2006, when her mother was jailed on charges of identity theft. Meanwhile, Candace Clark gave birth to another child who stayed in her care, a clear violation of protocol, according to the report. Additionally, it appears caseworkers improperly reunited Courtney with her mother at one time, even though Candace Clark had not met criteria to care for the girl, such as enrolling her in day care and holding a steady job. Eventually, when Candace Clark was incarcerated again, this time in Colorado, the child was placed with family friends in Lake County. The report also calls into question this decision, saying the couple had previously been investigated on an allegation of sexual abuse, at which time "some indicators" of abuse and neglect were found. This all comes as Clark's sister, Stacye Scarborough of Ocklawaha, is attempting to gain custody of Courtney and her sisters, ages 1 and 3 months. "I just want to make sure the kids are safe," she said. "I have a lot of questions for the state of Florida." Scarborough blames the state for allowing her sister to choose a foster family for her kids instead of placing them with responsible, biological family members. She said her sister always kept "shady" company. " didn't do their jobs, and now my nieces have fallen through the cracks," she said. She is especially incensed by DCF's decision to allow the children to stay in Wisconsin's care. However, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services said that all appropriate actions will be considered, including ultimately placing the kids with "fit and willing relatives." "This is their home," Scarborough said. Sarah Langbein can be reached at slangbein@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5020. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-mhellhouse27x07jun27,0,1589322.story?track=rss