Versailles, Ind. — A former Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) family case manager in Ripley County has pleaded guilty to forgery after investigators found he logged home visits and family contacts that never happened and signed parents’ and caregivers’ names on DCS forms they never signed. Todd Click was sentenced Oct. 6, 2026, to 910 days, with 900 days suspended to probation and credit for time served, according to Eagle Country 99.3 and the Greensburg Daily News. Every other charge was dismissed.
By the Hoosier Enquirer’s count, that leaves 10 days behind bars for a caseworker whose falsified records touched at least five families and 11 children.
What investigators found
According to the Indiana Office of Inspector General (OIG), which investigated after DCS flagged concerns and referred the case, Click:
- Entered false reports of home visits and family contacts into the DCS case management system.
- Forged the signatures of parents and caregivers on required DCS forms.
- Falsified at least 10 case entries and forged at least seven forms.
- Put at least five Ripley County families and 11 children at risk.
DCS raised concerns about Click’s records in spring 2024, about a month after he resigned, the Greensburg Daily News reported. Hoodline, citing court documents, reported the falsifications occurred between December 2023 and February 2024, that several of the falsified cases involved allegations of child physical or sexual abuse, and that the forged paperwork included safety plans.
Forging the signatures of parents and caregivers is a serious breach of duty and trust.
Indiana Inspector General Jared Prentice, as quoted by Eagle Country 99.3 and the Greensburg Daily News
Charges reduced, sentence suspended
Click was originally charged with Level 6 felony official misconduct and forgery, along with falsifying child abuse or neglect records, according to the reports. Under the plea agreement with the Ripley County Prosecutor’s Office, he pleaded guilty to forgery alone. The other counts were dismissed.
Beyond the suspended sentence, he must complete 100 hours of community service. If he finishes probation without violations, he may ask the court to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor, Eagle Country reported.
Why forged signatures matter to parents
A parent’s signature on a DCS form is not a formality. Signed safety plans, acknowledgments and contact records are used to show what a family agreed to, what they were told, and whether they complied. Those documents can later be used to justify a removal, to argue a parent violated an agreement, or to build a case in juvenile court.
When a caseworker signs a parent’s name, the parent loses control over the record that will be used to judge them. And when a caseworker logs a visit that never happened, the file tells a story that no one actually witnessed, yet supervisors, attorneys and judges rely on it as fact.
If even a portion of those forged forms were safety plans, as Hoodline reported court documents show, families were bound on paper to agreements they never signed.
A pattern in Indiana, and light consequences
Click’s case is not the only one. The Hoosier Enquirer reported that a former Marion County DCS family case manager, Sylvia Mbilo Mundala, pleaded guilty in Marion Superior Court to official misconduct after recording required face-to-face visits that did not occur, contradicted by family accounts, cellphone location data, photos and texts. She was sentenced Aug. 4 to 365 days suspended to four days served, according to the outlet, with the felony entered as a misdemeanor.
Combined, the two caseworkers will serve 14 days, the Hoosier Enquirer calculated.
Compare that to what parents face. A parent accused of a missed visit or an unsigned form can lose months with their children, or lose them permanently. The people who create the records that decide those cases, when caught falsifying them, walk away with days.
What accountability looks like
- Audit every file a falsifying caseworker touched. Families should be notified in writing and given the chance to challenge any decision built on false entries.
- Real penalties. Falsifying child welfare records should carry consequences that match the harm to families, not routine reductions to a misdemeanor.
- Parent copies of everything. Parents should receive a copy of any document bearing their signature at the time it is signed.
- Visit verification. GPS logs, photos or parent confirmation should back every recorded home visit.
What parents can do
Never sign a DCS document without receiving a copy. Keep a personal log of every caseworker visit, call and text with dates and times. Request your full case file and compare it to your own records. If you see a visit you don’t remember or a signature that isn’t yours, tell your attorney immediately and file a complaint with the Indiana Office of Inspector General.
Key facts
- Caseworker: Todd Click, former DCS family case manager, Ripley County office.
- Agency: Indiana Department of Child Services; investigated by the Indiana Office of Inspector General.
- Misconduct: At least 10 falsified case entries and seven forged forms; five families and 11 children affected.
- Plea: Guilty to forgery; official misconduct and records-falsification counts dismissed.
- Sentence (Oct. 6, 2026): 910 days, 900 suspended to probation, credit for time served, 100 hours community service.
- Possible outcome: Conviction may be reduced to a misdemeanor after probation.
Sources
- Eagle Country 99.3 — Ripley County Prosecutor Reaches Plea Deal with Former DCS Employee (Oct. 9, 2026)
- Greensburg Daily News — Former Rushville LEO takes plea deal (Oct. 10, 2026)
- Hoosier Enquirer — Two Ex-DCS Caseworkers Faked Visits to Hoosier Kids. Their Combined Jail Time: 14 Days. (Oct. 10, 2026)
- Hoodline — Ex-Rushville Officer Turned DCS Worker Pleads Guilty to Forging Child Safety Records (Oct. 11, 2026)
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