The death of 3-month-old baby Phoenix Castro in 2023 has exposed deep failings within Santa Clara County's child welfare system. The tragedy stems from a 2021 policy that prioritized keeping families together over ensuring child safety. This policy, championed by top county officials, has led to a sharp decline in the number of children removed from potentially dangerous homes.
Santa Clara County leaders in 2021 embraced a policy that prioritized keeping families together over keeping children safe. This policy tragically led to the death of 3-month-old baby Phoenix Castro in 2023. The responsibility for this fatal fentanyl and methamphetamine overdose, and for the dysfunction within Santa Clara County 's child welfare system, ultimately lies with the County Board of Supervisors.
For too long, these elected leaders have expressed concern but failed to take the necessary steps to hold accountable those responsible for placing innocent children at risk. The five-member board has two newcomers this year, presenting an opportunity to commission an independent review of the seemingly failed leadership of County Executive James Williams, Social Services Agency Director Daniel Little, and Damion Wright, who recently announced his resignation as director of the Department of Family and Children's Services. These leaders championed the 2021 policy that prioritized family preservation over child safety. A social worker had warned superiors about the dangers to newborn Phoenix if she was sent home from the hospital, as her older siblings had already been removed from their drug-abusing parents. However, Phoenix was sent home anyway. Tragically, her mother, Emily De La Cerda, died of a fentanyl overdose months after the infant's death. Her father, David Castro, is currently facing felony child endangerment charges. The tragedy brought to light the deep-seated problems within the county's child protection system that Williams, Little, and Wright were already aware of. Even before baby Phoenix's death, state investigators from the California Department of Social Services were scrutinizing the county agency's failed practices. At the heart of the controversy was the county's policy that prioritized keeping children with their parents, even when it put them at risk.While there is a legitimate debate about balancing family preservation with child safety, the county's approach tipped too far in favor of keeping families intact. This resulted in a sharp decline in the number of children removed from their homes, dropping from 60 in 2020 to 20 in 2022. A state report in February 2023, the same month baby Phoenix was born, revealed that the county counsel's office frequently overrode social workers' decisions to remove children from unsafe homes. A second damning state report, released in July 2024, a year after Phoenix's fatal overdose, described even more alarming failures in procedures. For example, in 55% of cases where social workers expressed concerns about a child's well-being, no safety plans were developed for the child. Children who reported parental abuse were required to have their parents present during interviews with social workers. And decisions about removing children for their own safety were still being made by county attorneys, without input from front-line social workers. This is not just a story of failed policies, but also of failed leadership, which goes beyond the scope of the state investigation. The leaders who implemented the 2021 policies remain in charge. While Wright, a vocal advocate of these policies, is stepping down, he wasn't in charge of the department four years ago. Little was, and was later promoted. He is accountable to Williams, who, in turn, reports to the Board of Supervisors. Williams' involvement also raises concerns. He became county executive in July 2023, months after baby Phoenix's death. Prior to that, he served as county counsel, ultimately responsible for the attorneys criticized by the state for overruling social workers. Therefore, for a comprehensive assessment of their top leaders' performance in this debacle, county supervisors need an independent, external investigator.
CHILD PROTECTION FAILURES SANTA CLARA COUNTY POLICY LEADERSHIP BABY PHOENIX CASTRO FATAL OVERDOSE FAMILY PRESERVATION
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