The recent tragic death of 3-year-old Kyle Smith by the hands of his legal guardian Nymeen Cheatham, and her boyfriend, Lemar Martin is sending shock waves through the city’s child welfare ranks once again. Brooklyn City workers were warned about possible child abuse in this case in the past and did nothing.

Last Friday little Kyle’s body was found covered with cuts, bruises and cigarette burns inside the Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment he shared with his legal guardian and her boyfriend.

At a press conference tomorrow, Councilmember de Blasio will join child advocates to introduce a resolution calling on the State Assembly to pass pending legislation that would allow child protective services to conduct criminal background checks on children’s guardians suspected of child abuse or neglect.

Child protective services workers are currently limited in their ability to access critical information that would allow them to fully evaluate the homes and living situations of children. In order for these workers to determine the health and safety of children in the system, they need every tool possible to ensure that children are not in imminent danger.

If these adults have a history of abusing or neglecting children, or of having children removed from their care, state and local agencies must be able to access this information so that they can make decisions in the best interest of the children involved.

Who: Councilmember de Blasio and Child Advocates
What: Councilmember de Blasio joins child advocates at a press conference to introduce a resolution calling on the State Assembly to pass legislation that would allow child protective services to conduct criminal background checks on children’s guardians suspected of child abuse or neglect
When: 10am – Thursday, June 12, 2008
Where: City Hall Steps