Texas state investigators have found at least a dozen Child Protective Services workers were accused in 2015 of falsifying parts of their case records to look as if they checked on endangered children.
Reviews conducted by the Health and Human Services Commission's inspector general showed that in 10 cases in which children died, employees failed to make timely visits to the families.
The Dallas Morning News reported that in two instances, CPS workers falsely reported meeting face-to-face with a child who later died from abuse or neglect.
CPS' parent agency agreed with the inspector general that incorrect information was being recorded by some workers.
"Falsification of documentation by individual caseworkers occurs, and it is extremely concerning," Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Patrick Cummins said.
However, he added, false data entries are "not the most common reason caseworkers are disciplined," but more likely because of doing generally poor work and making decisions that harm children.
The inspector general's reports also showed child abuse investigators missed deadlines, including a requirement that some endangered children be seen within 72 hours.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The reviews came about a month after 4-year-old Leiliana Wright of Grand Prairie was beaten to death, despite warnings from relatives that she was in danger. CPS has since fired two workers and a third resigned. Leiliana's mother and her mother's boyfriend were arrested in her death.
