A new California law strengthens protections for abused children.
The measure is named “Gabriel’s Law” after Gabriel Fernandez. Fernandez was an eight-year-old boy in Palmdale, who died in 2013 after being abused by his mom and her boyfriend.
State officials later said there had been warning signs about the abuse but social workers didn’t follow up on them.
“It devastated the community," said Assemblymember Tom Lackey, of Palmdale, who has pushed for changes for years. “It hasn't gone away, right? It’s something we still acknowledge.”
The law would require social workers to make sure a child gets emergency medical care when needed. And it makes it easier to prosecute social workers who falsify records.
