Police have arrested a mother, the mother's boyfriend and a social worker after the alleged abuse of two girls in Northern Kentucky.

WLT reports the social worker is accused of endangering the children after he let the girls go back to that home.

Lawmakers questioned the state agency he worked for today in Frankfort.

More in tonight's legislative update.

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This particular case represents a catastrophic failure.

I think, of the system in protecting these two young girls.

So what protocols?

Or what standards does a front line worker have when assessing a child for removal, particularly with visible signs of abuse?

DC BS.

Cannot take custody of a child on our own.

We don't have the authority, unlike law enforcement who can take place a child into protective custody.

DC BS cannot that you know that has to be reviewed by again the judge.

And the judge has to think that there is enough evidence there to warrant a removal of a child from the home.

I think I'm looking to get more into not placing the child back into the home.

And how do we how do we get to where we don't do that when it when it's there's visible signs of abuse and.

We want to make sure we have all the information to be able to make that determination that the child cannot remain safely in that home.

So after interviewing the child, our workers would go to the home and again, like I said and interviewed the parents.

Oftentimes there's relatives who are able to take placement and immediately take the child out of the home, or the perpetrator will agree to leave the home, giving us time to complete again, more of that safety assessment and work with.

We'll go to the judge and get the petition and the court orders that we need to be able to place that child on our own.

We cannot say that child is in our custody, you know, or direct whether or not that child is, you know, what you know, to be returned to a parent or not.

Again, without a court order and going through that process, we are not able to intervene.

The Gallatin County attorney is pursuing four charges against the social worker.

WLWT reports the girls school made the initial call to protective services and later called the police.

Once the girls left school.