GREENSBURG: Internal inadequacies existed within the Westmoreland County Children's Bureau as it oversaw the care of a sick young girl until 14 months before her death, officials conceded on Thursday. Children's Bureau Director Marilyn McSparrin said the agency already has started to implement changes to deal with the 12 licensing citations issued in the wake of a report authored by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare that is critical of the oversight given to the custody and care of 4-year-old Kristen Tatar. Tatar's body was found last August wrapped in newspaper, stuffed in a cooler and hidden in a shed behind her parents' home in Parks Township, Armstrong County. Authorities believe she was starved to death in early July. Her parents, Janet Crawford, 35, and James Tatar, 41, are in prison awaiting trial on homicide charges. They could face the death penalty if they are convicted of first-degree murder. A confidential report of an investigation conducted by the state Department of Public Welfare of Westmoreland County's children's bureau found 12 areas in which the local agency improperly conducted itself. Most notably, it did not provide Armstrong County Children and Youth Services with a written and detailed synopsis of the Tatar case when it transferred oversight to the neighboring county in May 2002. In one citation, the bureau was found to be lacking for not updating Tatar's medical records. Investigators also determined caseworkers did not complete risk assessments every six months as required by law. Citations were issued for other record-keeping flaws and failures to properly make timely reports. "We've already taken steps to address these citations," McSparrin said. Westmoreland County officials Wednesday declined to discuss specifics regarding the state report of the agency's handling of the Tatar case, citing the confidential nature of the findings. The Tribune-Review of Greensburg obtained a copy of the report, which also determined the 4-year-old girl never saw a doctor or medical professional from the time she was returned to her parents' custody in September 2001, to the day her case was transferred to Armstrong County child services in May 2002. Tatar was born Jan. 29, 1999, with a rare digestive disorder. That condition required a substantial amount of medical care and surgeries and prompted Westmoreland County Children's Bureau caseworkers to take custody of the child for a short time in December 1999 and again in April 2000. The girl spent about 17 months in foster care during which her medical care was carefully documented. The report did not address the final 14 months of Tatar's life, after her case had been transferred to Armstrong County. State officials said a similar report was completed detailing the Armstrong County Children and Youth Services' handling of the Tatar case. The Westmoreland County report focused only on the time the local children's bureau oversaw the case. And Westmoreland officials were concerned by the report's findings. "The point is to make corrections, and we have already done that and will continue to do that," McSparrin said. The Children's Bureau has 10 days to respond to the violations identified by the state Welfare Department investigators. Carey Miller, state Welfare Department spokeswoman, said that because the licensing violations have not been made public, the agency cannot directly comment on the findings. But in general terms, Miller said that if violations are found in mandatory case reviews prompted by a child's death, the state must review and accept those corrective measures before the licensing status process is completed. The Westmoreland County Children's Bureau operates under a full license, which means it is inspected by the state on a yearly basis. Its last review, June 3, 2003, gave Westmoreland County full licensing status. Repeated new violations could result in a licensing downgrade to provisional status, although Miller would not directly comment on Westmoreland County's situation. An agency with a provisional license would be subject to six-month inspections. "Those agencies will be watched very closely to ensure the safety and care of children in their care," Miller said. Meanwhile, Westmoreland County officials continue to review the state's findings. Only Commissioner Tom Ceraso offered reaction to the report. Ceraso declined to discuss specifics of the Tatar case but said funding deficiencies have left the children's bureau vulnerable to cases in which children such as Tatar can fall through the cracks. "It's disappointing there wasn't the highest level of services going to one of these children," Ceraso said. "The children's bureau is trying to balance what is fiscally prudent with what's best for the client. "Taxpayers want perfection, but they don't want to pay for perfection," he said. The Children's Bureau, with 92 employees and a $16 million budget, oversees about 1,800 investigations a year. It has more than 300 children currently in its care. Commissioner Tom Balya declined to discuss the report, citing the confidential nature of the investigation. Staffers for Commissioner Terry Marolt said he was unavailable for comment. Rich Cholodofsky is a staff writer for the Greensburg Tribune-Review.

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