DCS Director James Payne said at a news conference Tuesday morning that 25 children died in Indiana during fiscal year 2010, including four that had previous involvement with DCS.

That's a decrease from the previous fiscal year, when 38 children died, nine that had previous DCS involvement.

"Any death of a child is tragic and devastating, not only to the family but to the community," Payne said. "While this report indicates progress has been made, even one death is unacceptable."

DCS credits the decrease in deaths to the addition of hundreds of caseworkers and more caseworker interaction with families in crisis.

The report found that children under age 5 are most at risk for death in Indiana, as well as children who live with a single parent or an unmarried couple.