Human Resources Secretary Brenda Donald, who oversees child welfare services in Maryland, is living up to her pledge to get to the bottom of what went wrong in the disturbing case of Bryanna Harris. Too often, when a child dies, agency failings are swept under the rug. But after a seemingly slow start, Ms. Donald is pushing hard for necessary personnel and policy changes at Baltimore's Department of Social Services that could help avert more tragedies.

The latest fallout from the case was this week's revelation that two more caseworkers had been fired and disciplinary action had been taken against a supervisor. That's a total of five people at DSS who have lost privileges or their jobs since 2-year-old Bryanna was killed last June. Although the child's mother, Vernice Harris, has been charged in her death, an inspector general's report found that 10 caseworkers and eight supervisors had been involved with the case but had failed to have Bryanna removed from the home despite evidence of trouble.

Ms. Donald needs to keep the spotlight on. Uncovering all the lapses in this case is essential to help ensure that DSS can better protect the 6,000 children in its care.