DES MOINES (AP) — State records show child abuse investigations are increasing at the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo, a facility for children with serious behavioral problems.
The Des Moines Register reports Tuesday state records indicate children at the state-run home have sustained serious injuries due to self-harm.
State records show five abuse investigations this year. Four were affirmed as abuse and one unfounded. Three investigations in 2012 were unfounded. One investigation in 2011 was considered a minor incident.
Gov. Terry Branstad on Monday expressed full support for Charles Palmer, director of the Iowa Department of Human Services, which runs the home.
The home is under investigation by the federally funded Disability Rights Iowa, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the disabled, for placing girls in isolation rooms for months at a time.