URGING THE LEGISLATURE TO CONDUCT MANDATORY INQUIRIES INTO ALL FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES THAT OCCURRED TO CHILDREN INVOLVED IN CHILD WELFARE SERVICES.

SCR 185 is a concurrent resolution urging the Hawaii Legislature to require mandatory inquiries into all child fatalities and serious injuries involving children in state child welfare services. It directly affects the Department of Human Services (DHS) and child welfare cases, seeking to replace reliance on costly lawsuits with systematic investigations. The resolution requests that DHS conduct these inquiries for every incident, rather than waiting for legal action after harm occurs. It cites numerous past cases where DHS failed to act on warnings, leading to preventable deaths and injuries, but does not create new laws or alter existing policies.