HONOLULU (KHON2) — It’s no secret the Child Welfare System has failed to live up to its mission of protecting our island keiki. A new report shines a light on the system’s shortcomings but also lays the groundwork for a positive way to move forward.
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The innocent lives of six-year-old Isabella Kalua and 10-year-old Geanna Bradley were tragically cut short by the very people entrusted to care for them.
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“This is heartbreaking. Every incident that’s happening now, in the past and unfortunately in the future, it should not happen. It is heartbreaking, it is unacceptable,” said Tia Hartsock, Office of Wellness and Resilience Director.
The State created the Malama Ohana Working Group in 2023 to address long-standing problems within the Child Welfare System.
After 15 months, the assessment showed the system is failing.
“What we found was probably what we already knew: really good people doing this work, some heroes doing this work. But all together, the system is not functioning,” said Laurie Ariel Tochiki, Malama Ohana Working Group co-chair.