All parents, it’s said, want what’s best for their children. Not true. Some parents are their children’s mortal enemies.

In Washington, state officials get 600 reports a month about children thought to be in peril because of abuse or neglect by a parent, guardian or other care giver.

Three months ago Gov. Christine Gregoire and her head of Social and Health Services, Robin Arnold-Williams, unveiled tighter standards for responding to those calls. At a press conference in April they spared no imperatives in declaring a heightened state commitment to protecting vulnerable youngsters.

Responding to referrals in 10 days – the policy at the time – was unacceptable, said the governor, especially when a child’s life may be at risk. Since April 29, caseworkers have been expected to check out high-risk complaints within 24 hours. Effective Aug. 1 – this Monday – the deadline for “non-emergent” responses will be 72 hours.

More stringent expectations put added pressure on overloaded social workers, but they make undeniable sense. All the more so in the wake of a tragedy last November in Kent, where Justin Robinson, 16 months, and Raiden Robinson, 6 weeks, were found dead of malnutrition and dehydration. In another room, intoxicated and passed out among 300 empty beer cans, was the children’s mother, who has been charged with second-degree murder.

Shortly after that, in Stevens County, Tyler DeLeon died of the same causes. It was Jan. 4, his seventh birthday, and he weighed 33 pounds. School officials had called Child Protective Services about Tyler nine days earlier, but there had been no response. Stevens County Prosecuting Attorney Jerry Wetle hasn’t decided whether to file charges.

With those cases fresh in everyone’s memory, Gregoire and Arnold-Williams had every reason to stress that protecting children and vulnerable adults is the agency’s top priority.

But time and reality seem to have taken an edge off the commitment. Caseloads are too big. Resources are thin. At-risk kids can’t always be located in 24 hours, and sometimes law enforcement agencies ask CPS workers to hold off for a day or two while they pursue a criminal investigation. According to agency documents, the new 24-hour response standard has been met about 84 percent of the time, and the goal is to achieve 90 percent compliance. Not 100, but 90. In other words, if about 60 emergency reports a month fail to get a 24-hour follow-up, the agency will be hitting its target.

The 72-hour standard that takes effect Monday for non-emergent cases – Tyler DeLeon’s, for example – is considered even more challenging because it involves the same caseworkers who already are straining to keep up with emergency situations.

No one is being cavalier about this grim reality. Not Gregoire, nor Arnold-Williams, nor anyone in Child Protective Services. But it’s up to agency officials, legislators and the public to demand better than 90 percent compliance. Some children have no one else to count on – certainly not their parents.