Police would accompany child welfare workers who respond to reports of abused children under a plan being pushed by Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard after the death of a toddler in May.

Howard said Wednesday that he and other agency officials are planning multiagency teams to respond to incidents of suspected child abuse.

Social workers for the state Division of Family and Children Services, who answer complaints of suspicious injuries to children, would be backed by teams comprising a police officer, a health department nurse and a representative from the district attorney's office. The teams could be on the streets by the end of the summer.

"We could have saved this life," Howard said. "The right process is not in place."

Howard was critical of DFCS' performance in the May 28 death of 16-month-old Amiya Brown. Days earlier, a DFCS worker allowed the child, who had a broken arm and leg, to go home from the hospital with her mother, who is now charged with her murder.

"Essentially, you don't get the sense there is a lot of confidence about DFCS," Howard said.

The team response plan drew praise from the Atlanta police homicide commander, but concern from a child welfare advocate who worried that team members would clash and police would criminalize some parents for family discipline.

Normer Adams, a child welfare advocate, said the agencies don't always agree on a course of action. In some cases, social workers may prefer to keep a child with a family and provide counseling, while police want to remove a child and press charges.

"It is a criminal matter when children are abused, and people who abuse children should be prosecuted," said Adams, head of the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children.

But sometimes, he said, quick prosecution can be more damaging than keeping a family together with support services.

Howard said he convened a meeting of agency leaders last week in response to Amiya's death. The Atlanta toddler died of blunt trauma injuries to the face and head, and her mother, LaBoiya Brown, and her mother's boyfriend, Brandon Hall, have been charged with murder and child cruelty.

In particular, Howard focused on the initial response when the hospital reported Amiya's injuries nine days before the killing. A DFCS social worker let the child return home after interviewing the mother.

Howard said the social worker should not have allowed the child to return home. He believes a police officer would have seen through what authorities believe was the mother's false story.

Howard noted no social worker followed up on the mother's story or visited the family at home. The group of agency leaders who met last week, he said, "have committed to set up some apparatus so these cases don't fall through the cracks."

Howard said DFCS officials are participating in the team planning. Agency officials did not respond Wednesday to calls seeking comment.

Howard said dramatic change is required, considering the history of the Fulton County office of state DFCS, which has made mistakes in cases that cost children's lives. He said many young workers have to handle heavy case loads.

Howard's comments came a day after the commander of the Atlanta police homicide unit said DFCS should have summoned a police officer to the hospital when Amiya's injuries were spotted.

The commander, Lt. Keith Meadows, praised the plan for multi-agency teams Wednesday.

At the same time, Howard and Meadows acknowledged that the communication among DFCS and these other agencies is sometimes spotty and that the new plan will require an increased level of cooperation.