BOSTON -- This week marks one year since Dontel Jeffers, 4, died while in state custody. His foster mother is awaiting trial.

One year after Dontel's death, Team 5 learned why foster children like him, children with special needs, could be most at risk.

"We know Dontel was just badly beaten to death," said Dontel's cousin, Vincent James.

NewsCenter 5's Rhondella Richardson reported that the state outsources its toughest cases to hundreds of private agencies. But each of those agencies has its own rules and its own standards, and very little accountability to Department of Social Services. In Dontel's case, one agency placed him and another, Mentor Alliance, was paid to oversee his care. The agency was supposed to check on him within 48 hours, but for 11 days, no one from Mentor did. By then, Dontel was dead

"Do I believe that if they made their visits on time that his death might have been avoided? You bet yes I do," said Rep. Gloria Fox, of the Legislative Committee for Foster Care.

"The failure was our failure the state's failure we didn't have adequate supervision over the contractors," DSS Commissioner Harry Spence said.

"This is criminal the mentor program and all the organizations and agencies that continually take our money and don't provide for the public safety for children -- there should be some sanctions. They should never get a contract from us again," Fox said.

Dontel's foster mom, Corrine Stephens, 24, her living conditions and her references were never fully evaluated, according to a report.

James Harrell of Dare Family Services trained Dontel's foster mother and told Mentor he would not recommend her.

"She was not a regular attendee of weekly supervision which provided additional training to the foster parent, nor did she come to monthly training," Harrell said.

"This mother was not fit to be a foster parent and shouldn't have had Dontel in the first place," James said.

"She actually did have eight successful placements. They gambled, maybe, but they certainly didn't think they were gambling with a life," Spence said.

Despite all the questions, Mentor will receive no sanctions. Dontel's death is leading to some changes. Starting this summer, all private agencies will be held to uniform rules, and there will be more stringent training and selection of specialized foster parents.

"Can you meet the new bar, if you can't meet the new bar, there will be consequences," Spence said.

But to oversee these changes, DSS is hiring just three additional staffers.

"All special needs children need to be back in our care. They can't be at the whim and the will of the businesses that happen to be contracted by DSS," Fox said.

Spence said they are now working with the contracted agencies on new standards, including mandatory visits to foster children within 48 hours of placement. These new standards will be part of new contracts beginning in July. The agency in charge of Dontel will still be working for the state.