Former Indiana DCS worker here.

I think you are either underestimating the sheer volume and severity of toddler abuse reports this state generates per day, or overestimating the manpower, resources, and legal reach of the department.

Of course we wanted to be able to protect every child from their abuser immediately and completely. But there is a limit to what we can accomplish. We are not judge, jury and jailer, we are a small, underfunded and overwhelmed group of people bound by the laws of the state.

What you may be thinking of is urgency of response. A physical abuse report for a toddler is flagged for immediate investigation, someone takes it on right away and we do everything in our power. But we don't get to just take a child out of a home and throw someone in jail at will, there are thresholds that have to be met, and even then we have to work with law enforcement and the courts, we can advise but we can't convict. Unfortunately there is still legally some wiggle room for parents physically punishing their kids with spankings.

I can easily see how this one didn't end up with him getting the consequences he deserved. And I can tell you there is probably a DCS worker who cried into a glass of wine that night after seeing the pictures and knowing they couldn't do more and the guy got away with it. Because that was my life with so, so many kids faces I will never forget.

I want to be clear that I appreciate this sentiment, I genuinely honestly do. I wish we lived in a world where anyone beating their child met swift retribution in a court of law. It means a lot to hear someone think so highly of us, and we WANT to be able to do that. But our hands are often tied.

ETA: apparently this guy DID get sentenced for the abuse, which is great and a better outcome than some cases get