N.H. praised for child abuse disclosure law

The state can withhold the information for reasons including protecting siblings, but it must explain itself in writing.

Supporters hoped it would prevent future tragedies.

Today, two leading child advocacy groups, First Star and the University of San Diego School of Law's Children Advocacy Institute, will give New Hampshire one of only two A grades for its child abuse disclosure policy, a policy traceable directly to Kassidy Bortner's death.

The groups flunked 10 states, including Vermont, and gave most of the others poor marks. They said that inadequate policies on releasing information precludes the public scrutiny that often is necessary to reform or beef up child protection efforts.

Nevada received the other A. Twenty-eight states received a C+ or lower, including Maine, which got a D+.

About 1,500 children die annually in the United States as a result of child abuse and neglect, the groups said.

The New Hampshire law inspired by Kassidy's death has not yet been used.

"There haven't been child deaths that fit within this circumstance," said Nancy Rollins, associate commissioner for the state's Health and Human Services.

Rollins used to lead the state's Division for Children, Youth, and Families, whose social workers investigate child abuse reports. Rollins said the law strikes a balance because the state can withhold the information if it would traumatize the child or the child's siblings or compromise prosecutions or other pending legal efforts.

The written explanation of why information was withheld in a given case must be provided to the person seeking the information.

The groups said all 50 states receive federal funds under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. To be eligible, states are supposed to have provisions that allow for public disclosure of findings or information about abuse and neglect cases that result in death or life-threatening injuries.