County still working to protect confidential files of child abuse victims

More than a month ago, Montgomery County’s inspector general revealed that a county file-sharing platform provided access to confidential files of child sexual and physical abuse victims to any employee and contractor.

The victims’ information came from the Tree House Advocacy Center, a Rockville nonprofit that the county contracts to provide evaluations, therapy, support services and care to victims.

Nearly seven weeks after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report, the county is still working on technology protections throughout the county’s file-sharing platforms for files with sensitive information.

The records of the children revealed names, medical information, specific abuse, and other details. It was the second time this year the OIG has found vulnerabilities within the county’s file-sharing platforms.

Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi told the council on Tuesday that she continues to be concerned that documents containing sensitive data still have not been secured...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/government/county-still-working-to-protect-confidential-files-of-child-abuse-victims/

Firings of therapists who alleged wrongdoing left abused children without treatment: A nonprofit group that is paid nearly $1 million a year by Montgomery County to provide counseling and medical care to abused children has been accused of inflating the number of patients it serves and failing to protect their personal information.

A nonprofit group that is paid nearly $1 million a year by Montgomery County to provide counseling and medical care to abused children has been accused of inflating the number of patients it serves and failing to protect their personal information.

Three psychologists and a social worker who raised concerns about the Rockville-based Tree House organization say they were abruptly fired soon afterward, leaving dozens of vulnerable children without the therapists they had grown to trust.

“It’s like walking away in the middle of surgery,” said Stephanie Wolf, a psychologist who was fired in August. “I don’t understand how an organization that is supposed to be caring for kids would do this.”

The Tree House is a public-private nonprofit that provides free mental health services, medical assessments and victim advocacy for children who are suspected to have been physically or sexually abused. It is the only accredited child advocacy organization in Montgomery County, a suburb of 1 million people just outside the District...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/tree-house-montgomery/2020/10/07/71462bc0-0330-11eb-897d-3a6201d6643f_story.html#comments-wrapper

Local Organizations Receive State Grants To Improve Child Abuse Investigations

The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention on Monday awarded more than $250,000 in grants to 21 organizations across the state, including two in Montgomery County.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Montgomery County received $10,000, and the Tree House Child Advocacy Center of Montgomery County Maryland Inc. received $3,088 in funding intended to improve the investigation, prosecution and judicial handling of child abuse and neglect cases, particularly child sexual abuse and exploitation cases, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/news/local-organizations-receive-state-grants-to-improve-child-abuse-investigations/