The deaths of several Kern County children in recent years, including 8-year-old Genesis Mata, have reignited community concerns about the county’s child welfare system and prompted an independent audit of Child Protective Services.
Community listening sessions tied to the audit began this week, following years of calls from residents and family members seeking answers about how abuse reports were handled before the children died.
Genesis Mata died last year after authorities say her father and stepmother tortured and killed her, despite allegations that multiple reports had been made to Child Protective Services beforehand. Years earlier, the disappearance and deaths of Orrin and Orson West — also known as Classic and Cincere Pettus — raised similar concerns about oversight within the agency…