**To: Governor Mike Braun, the Indiana General Assembly, and the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS)**

We, the undersigned residents of Indiana, call for urgent reform in how the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) responds to cases of child abuse and neglect. Too many children in our state remain unnoticed and unprotected, particularly those suffering from mental, emotional, and psychological abuse. At the same time, families are sometimes separated unnecessarily.

We demand stronger, clearer, and more enforceable laws in Indiana to protect children, including:

1. Recognition of mental and emotional abuse as equally serious as physical abuse under Indiana law.

2. Mandatory secondary review panels for any child abuse reports that are screened out by Indiana DCS, to ensure no case is dismissed without oversight.

3. Stricter accountability for DCS investigations at both the county level (Grant County and across Indiana) and the state level.

4. Independent oversight committees in Indiana counties, including Grant County, to review CPS/DCS decisions and prevent mistakes.

5. Stronger federal standards so that children in Indiana receive the same protections as children nationwide.

**Additional Stricter Guidelines Based on Reported Failures:**

6. Child’s Voice Must Be Considered: Any child who directly reports physical or mental abuse must have their statement formally documented and given legal weight in CPS decisions.

7. Independent Child Advocate: When a child reports abuse, CPS must assign an independent advocate or guardian ad litem (not employed directly by DCS) to represent the child’s best interests.

8. School Attendance Safeguard: If a child is absent from school after reporting abuse, CPS must investigate immediately — failure to do so should trigger automatic review.

9. Prohibition on Automatic Returns: Children must not be automatically returned to parents after running away or reporting abuse without a full, documented investigation and review by a secondary panel.

10. Mandatory Abuse Review Panel: In every case where a child alleges abuse, CPS must present findings to a review panel including mental health professionals and educators before deciding on reunification.

11. Accountability for Negligence: If CPS returns a child to an unsafe environment after credible reports of abuse, there must be accountability measures such as internal investigation, retraining, or disciplinary action.

Every child in Indiana deserves to be safe — not just the ones DCS chooses to notice.

We urge Governor Mike Braun, the Indiana General Assembly, and Indiana DCS leadership to take immediate action to reform policies and ensure no child is left in a harmful home environment.