child abuse

State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick says a review of the Children’s Division, which has struggled for years to recruit and retain staff, may not happen right away because of staff constraints in his own office. Meanwhile, Missouri has a backlog of more than 10,000 open child abuse and neglect cases.

There are more than 10,000 cases of alleged child abuse and neglect in Missouri that remain open, including over 3,600 in the Kansas City region. The NPR Midwest Newsroom found that investigators in the state's Children’s Division are overloaded and dealing with a shortage of case workers.

As of August, Kansas City had 3,636 open investigations into child abuse and neglect. Across the state, there are more than 10,000 cases that have been open more than 45 days after being reported. Missouri officials acknowledge the problem and that fixing it isn't easy.

Officials agree that clearing the backlog at Missouri’s Children’s Division won’t be easy or quick. “I think this is a business decision when it comes down to it," says one Lee's Summit lawmaker. “If we value the children of Missouri, we have to do more.”

The legislation changes Missouri law by requiring judges start each child custody case with the presumption that “equal or approximately equal” parenting time for each parent is in the child’s best interests. But the bill, passed in the final hour of the legislative session, could make it more difficult for victims to escape abusive relationships and protect their children.

Local KSHB-TV anchor and reporter Gabriella Pagan suddenly disappeared from television last year. She told Up To Date she had to leave her career in journalism to confront childhood trauma and abuse in her past. That’s how she became an advocate for kids in Jackson County’s Family Court system.

The Division of the Child Advocate was established in October 2021 as an ombudsman's office with special attention to the cases of foster children. The office started investigating complaints last year.

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests backed legislation from a Johnson County lawmaker aimed at holding more people accountable when clergy abuse children.

Agape Boarding School, a Stockton-based Christian residential facility that's been under scrutiny for decades, is shutting down Friday. Dozens of former students have gone public with their allegations of physical, mental, and sexual abuse at the boarding school.

Dozens of former students have gone public with their allegations of physical, mental, and sexual abuse at the Stockton-based Christian residential facility, which opened in 1996. For the last few years, Agape has been at the forefront of the state’s reckoning over abuse allegations at unlicensed faith-based boarding schools.

Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, says she'll introduce legislation this week to get rid of the statute of limitations for crimes involving sexual misconduct and abuse. She also criticized leaders of the Catholic Church for failing to support previous efforts to do so.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests also wants Kansas to change its laws on old cases so that more abusers could potentially face justice.