Suffolk County is overhauling its child welfare system after the death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva

NEW YORK – In the wake of the heartbreaking death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, who froze to death in 2020 after being forced to sleep in an unheated garage, Suffolk County is making major changes within its child protective services to ensure that no child with similar situation is faced. lot.

Valva’s case exposed serious failings within the CPS found a grand jury did not protect him from abuse.

“We’re just getting started,” said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.

Now the province has appointed John Imhof as the new commissioner for the Department of Social Services.

“There must be transparency in the way we do our work, and there must be accountability,” Imhof said.

Better wages, hiring new employees and reducing workloads are some of the improvements being made. It also implements the Blind Removal Policy, which aims to ensure fair assessments by removing identifying information during initial investigations into child abuse cases.

“The blind takedown is simply that there is no identifying information whatsoever about the subjects involved in the study,” Imhof explained.

CPS employees and law enforcement will also participate in training on child protection and advocating for vulnerable populations.

Suffolk County officials are pushing for legislation in Albany that would give law enforcement access to sealed files of abuse allegations. Currently, if a report is deemed “unsubstantiated,” it is sealed and inaccessible, limiting the ability of the CPS and law enforcement agencies to assess patterns and enforce best practices.

Officials hope the reforms and changes will serve to protect at-risk children in Suffolk County.