Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The death of 12-year-old Gavin Peterson continues to draw interest from lawmakers.
Peterson died July 9, and his father, stepmother and older brother were charged with child abuse in connection to his death.
The Division of Child and Family Services has been under fire over allegations from school staff that the agency failed to investigate reports of abuse on Peterson's behalf.
On Monday, lawmakers said they wanted to hear from the agency to determine if it has enough resources and identify gaps in legislation.
In a rare public appearance and move toward transparency following the high-profile death of Peterson, the Division of Child and Family Services addressed the Rules Review and General Oversight Committee.
"Just giving a little bit of context of what happens when a report is made," Tonya Myrup, the agency's director, said to lawmakers during the hour-and-a-half presentation.
"We as legislators need to make sure that we're giving our agencies … the help and support they need to ensure no child endures that again," said Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan.
Birkeland asked Division of Child and Family Services leaders and Department of Health and Human Services Executive Director Tracy Gruber if the departments felt comfortable with their funding and staffing levels.
"It was refreshing to hear them say, 'We feel like we're adequately prepared to handle the challenges.' Obviously, they want to improve, but the last thing we need to do is be saying, 'A mistake was made, now fix it, and we're not here to back you up and support you,'" Birkeland said.
While the Division of Child and Family Services says it can't provide specifics into its investigation of the Peterson case, its representatives shared insight from the agency's 2024 Annual Report. The report was published Monday morning.
According to the report, the Division of Child and Family Services received 48,542 reports of abuse or neglect in fiscal year 2024 and identified 8,791 child victims.
Lawmakers spent half of the meeting discussing how the agency handles false reports. According to Myrup, these types of reports nearly doubled between fiscal years 2022 and 2024. 2022 saw 22 false reports, 2023 saw 43, and 2024 saw that number drop slightly to 42.
"DCFS had been weaponized particularly when there's a dispute between adults," Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said.
The committee is exploring legislation, with a new bill that would require the Division of Child and Family Services to refer confirmed false claims to police and create harsher punishments for those who knowingly make false allegations. One idea was to include a fine.
"Those should be referred to for potential criminal prosecution because we're using up precious resources chasing our tail on false claims," Bramble said.
"There's been a lot of conversations not only in this committee … of reviewing practices, reviewing our current statutes and whether they are sufficient for our Division of Child and Family Services to actually take action… and intervene if there's a need for child abuse and neglect," Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said.
Sens. Escamilla and John Johnson also sit on the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel.
The panel is expected to get a full report on the Peterson case next month. Case-specific details will be shared behind closed doors. However, a public hearing will follow in which lawmakers can make recommendations to the Division of Child and Family Services based on the investigation's findings.
"The oversight panel is really responsible for finding out the facts and what was going on and then offering some oversight," said Johnson. "The only reason we go into executive session is there may be legal things pending and we need to maintain the privacy of families."
"DCFS is really good about providing detailed reports so I expect we will see more on this case," Johnson added.
