County report finds many recent Santa Clara child deaths were preventable

Santa Clara County’s latest child death review landed in the middle of a widening crisis over how the county protects children already known to its welfare system. A report prepared by the county’s Child Death Review Team and discussed by the Board of Supervisors this week found that many of the deaths reviewed from 2021 through 2023 were preventable. The findings arrived as county leaders weigh a 2026-27 budget shaped by a large deficit and as state officials deepen scrutiny of the Department of Family and Children’s Services after another high-profile child death this spring. Advocates and county officials are now arguing over two questions at once: whether the county failed to intervene in dangerous homes, and whether it has also removed some children unnecessarily. ### What did the county’s review actually find? The Santa Clara County Child Death Review Team’s 2021-2023 report reviewed 108 of 315 child deaths reported to the medical examiner and said the cases pointed to recurring risks including neglect, homicide, drug deaths, suicide and unsafe caregiving. The SFGATE summary of the report, citing San José Spotlight, said the review counted 12 deaths by neglect, 12 homicides by parents, guardians or third parties, 17 deaths from inadequate caretaking, 15 drug overdoses, 22 suicides and 18 deaths tied to other adolescent high-risk behavior. Michelle A. Jorden, the chair of the Child Death Review Team and the county’s chief medical examiner, wrote in the report that it contained “valuable but disconcerting information” and said the data showed a need to better support families and educate parents and children about common dangers. (files.santaclaracounty.gov) ### Why is this surfacing now? (sfgate.com) May 20 board discussions over the report came weeks after the April death of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez, a case that intensified attention on the county’s child welfare agency. San José Spotlight and The Associated Press reported that Juarez had been placed by the Department of Family and Children’s Services in the home of a cousin whose household included a teenage son later charged in the child’s killing. (files.santaclaracounty.gov) Ten county employees tied to Juarez’s case were placed on leave, County Executive James Williams said on April 24, pending personnel investigations. District Attorney Jeff Rosen said his office would “relentlessly follow our investigation in any direction the evidence leads.” ### What role is the state playing? (halifax.citynews.ca) California’s Department of Social Services already oversees county reporting and disclosure rules for child fatalities and near fatalities caused by abuse or neglect under state and federal law. The department’s Critical Incident Oversight & Support Unit reviews those cases and provides technical assistance to counties. State officials are now expected to remain on-site at Santa Clara County’s Department of Family and Children’s Services for ongoing reviews, according to the April 24 report. (halifax.citynews.ca) Williams said the state had expanded a corrective action plan that had been scheduled to end in June. ### How do budget cuts fit into a child welfare story? (cdss.ca.gov) James R. Williams released Santa Clara County’s recommended 2026-27 budget on May 1, calling it a $14.7 billion plan built around a nearly $800 million starting deficit that could exceed $1 billion next year. The county said the proposal includes workforce adjustments, service reductions and program realignments. (halifax.citynews.ca) KQED reported that county officials recommended cutting 655 positions, with many of the reductions falling in the hospital system and behavioral health departments. Williams said he hoped to avoid layoffs by moving affected workers into other vacancies. Advocates cited by local coverage have warned that cuts to prevention, behavioral health and family support programs could weaken the services meant to keep children safe before a crisis escalates. (news.santaclaracounty.gov) County officials, by contrast, have said they are trying to preserve essential safety-net services while closing the deficit. (kqed.org) ### Why are advocates also talking about unnecessary family separations? The April 24 account of the state review said state officials had previously criticized Santa Clara County for putting family preservation ahead of child safety after earlier deaths including those of baby Phoenix Castro and 7-year-old Jordan Walker in 2023. (news.santaclaracounty.gov) At the same time, outside advocates have argued that public outrage over those deaths can drive agencies toward more removals, especially in poor families, without fixing the screening and supervision failures that preceded the fatalities. That debate has sharpened in Santa Clara County because the same agency is being accused of both missing danger signs and making disruptive interventions. (halifax.citynews.ca) May and June budget hearings at the Board of Supervisors are the next public test. The spending plan, the state’s expanded corrective action work and any personnel findings in the Juarez case will all determine what changes Santa Clara County makes next. (halifax.citynews.ca)