Ciani's case says otherwise.

"The policy for finding children is just not adequate," said Richard Gelles, dean of the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania and a former consultant hired by the agency to rewrite its policy manuals. Gelles was also a paid expert who testified against the city in the Bennett case.

Gelles and others say the reform policy doesn't give specific direction on how to find people.

"The policy says you should never make a mistake, but how do you assure that they don't?" Gelles asked. "What tools do you give them?"

He said he hoped the agency's new search policy was not a harbinger.

"If you leave it as it is, which is with no oversight and no quality control with all decisions left to social workers and supervisors, then it can't be reformed," Gelles said.

Evans said the policy had little bearing on this specific case, but he accepted Gelles' criticism.

"This is the kind of thing we should look at," he said. "It seems we can strengthen this policy by being more precise."

Fears bring help

DHS learned of the Davis family on Aug. 17, 2004, when Hargrove called to say Davis - who was living with her - had waited a week to seek treatment for her 1-year-old son's broken leg, documents show.

Davis said Khiseer had fallen on a Monday while riding a tricycle. "He was playing out back," she said during a recent interview. "You know how boys are rough."

Five days later, during a birthday party, her family grew concerned.

"Every time you put him down on his leg, he would make a face," said Esse Davis, Hargrove's mother. "I told her to take him to the hospital."

A week after he injured his leg, Davis took the child to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. Hargrove said the doctors had told her that it was unusual for a child so young to break a bone.

Hargrove called DHS and relayed her suspicions, saying Davis would often leave Khiseer alone while she got high, according to an interview with Hargrove and a DHS record of the call.

A few days later, a DHS investigator went to Hargrove's tidy rowhouse in the East Frankford section and questioned the family. It ruled the neglect allegation "unfounded."

Nonetheless, the worker determined that Davis' child was high-risk and on Aug. 24, 2004, scheduled "intensive services," meaning DHS would hire a social worker from a private agency, Northern Home for Children, to visit at least twice a week, records show.

The sessions would be voluntary, giving the family the chance to head off further intervention if it cooperated.

Davis would have to undergo drug treatment, promise not to leave her child unattended, and provide nutritious meals. She would also have to ensure Khiseer continued to live in suitable housing with heat and running water. DHS would periodically assess the risk and safety of the child.