The Fight Against Crime: Notes From The Front : Child’s Death May Save the Lives of Others

VAN NUYS —  Little Lance Helms’ brutal death may be a lifesaver for other children.

A North Hollywood woman who fatally beat the 2-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in state prison last week in Superior Court. This Friday, a state senator is sponsoring a hearing at the Capitol in Sacramento that will use the Helms case to examine child welfare laws and policies.

And in Los Angeles County, a comprehensive training program covering child and family safety was initiated for dependency court officers--judges included--after Helms’ highly-publicized death last April.

But far too many children continue to die at the hands of their caretakers, say children’s advocates. Those who feel good about several different recent efforts also are eager to see more progress.

“Overall, the system has not changed profoundly,” said Deanne Tilton Durfee, executive director of the Los Angeles County Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Officials in Los Angeles County say the number of children who die because of mistreatment reaches dozens a year. A good sign: Fewer children appear to be dying each year in the Los Angeles area due to abuse, says Tilton Durfee, a nationally recognized expert on child welfare.

County officials say the latest statistics on child welfare in the region, covering 1994, are expected to be announced this month. They say the number of dead children is expected to be fewer than in 1993, when 41 children were counted as being killed by their caretakers. In 1991, the figure was 61.

Nationwide, an estimated 2,000 children are killed each year because of some sort of neglect or abuse by an adult charged with their care.

“I think the public really kind of buries their heads in the sand,” said Shirley Pate, vice president of the California chapter of Justice for Children, a nonprofit advocacy group. “I don’t think [child welfare officials] listen enough to the foster parents, or the grandparents.”

In the Helms case, Eve Wingfield, 23, who was the girlfriend of the boy’s father, last month pleaded no contest to child abuse with the special allegation that the abuse resulted in Lance Helms’ death. The controversial plea bargain came as Wingfield was about to go on trial for murder, which would have meant a life sentence if she were convicted, instead of only 10 years.

To state Sen. Richard G. Polanco (D-Los Angeles), the case was an alarming example of how dangerous life can be for society’s smallest members.

Polanco, who is chairman of the new senate subcommittee on crimes against children, said one touchy issue that must be addressed is the emphasis, under current regulations, that social workers are expected to place on family reunification. For many children, living with their blood relatives is more dangerous than the care of nonrelatives, he said.

Despite warnings to dependency court officials from relatives and social workers who were concerned about Lance Helms’ safety, he continued living with his father, David Helms--who was not charged in the death--until he was beaten to death by his father’s girlfriend. David Helms had been treated for a drug abuse problem and Lance was born drug-addicted.

Polanco said he intends to help determine how failures in the child welfare system are contributing to the deaths of babies. The ultimate goal is to come up with legislation that saves lives, he said.

“Why is it that kids are dying, and to what degree does the system fail to protect them?” he said. “Children are just too valuable a resource. And too vulnerable.”