Oregon Public Broadcasting

A follow up now to a story we brought you last week about Child Protective Services in Northeast Washington.

State officials say they will take immediate action to improve services in the wake of a critical Ombudsman's report.

It found a breakdown in communication is putting children and families at risk. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins has details.

Children's Administration in Spokane says it's implementing a new 30-day and 60-day action plan to address deficiencies.

The 16-action items include: assigning a full-time ìarea administrator to oversee the agency's office in Colville, Washington; planning a community town hall meeting; and bringing in a mediator to help improve working relationships.

The agency will also ask a Colville doctor to head-up the local Child Protection Team.

One of the complaints has been CPS ignores input from local doctors. But Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen, an outspoken critic of CPS, is skeptical of the action plan.

He wants more focus on trying to keep siblings together, increased communication with relatives, and giving foster parents more notice before children are removed from their home.