A working group that emerged from a tragedy sets out to reform child welfare services

HONOLULU (AP) — A working group formed to help reform Hawaii’s troubled child welfare system has drafted dozens of recommendations for reform, and the group is about to launch a series of hearings to solicit comments on those ideas.

The Malama Ohana Working Group was created by the Legislature last year in part in response to the death of 6-year-old Isabella Kalua, who disappeared from the Waimanalo home of her adoptive parents in August of 2021.

The body of Kalua, also known by her birth name of Ariel Sellers, was never found. She was officially declared dead by a probate court in 2022, and her adoptive parents Isaac and Lehua Kalua have been charged with second-degree murder in Isabella’s death.

The Legislature passed Senate Bill 295 last year. It noted “criticism of Hawaii’s child welfare system has been increasing and is accentuated when there is a tragedy. Shortcomings in Hawaii’s child welfare system are not new, and there is strong desire in the community to address these concerns.”

The working group is made up of social workers, foster parents, former foster youth and others, and the bill instructs the group to report back to the Legislature next year with a package of proposed reforms.

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