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The series has shed light on the fact that the state agency charged with protecting children, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, often fails to do so. Reports often are screened out or unsubstantiated. In the case of "The Girl in the Basement," there were more than two dozen previous reports of abuse and neglect, including by mandatory reporters such as teachers and nurses, that appear to be all but overlooked before police removed the girl from her home.