Child abuse and neglect are very real. It occurs in every socioeconomic and ethnic group. The perpetrators are parents, relatives, neighbors or professionals. The abuse is then (hopefully) reported by someone who recognizes the signs, or sees the abuse take place. Thus begins the involvement of CPS. The report is investigated and either substantiated or not. If the investigating caseworker can substantiate the abuse then a plan for intervention is made. If they children are in danger they can be removed and placed in protective custody. Services can be offered to the family before the problem escalates enough to warrant removal of the children.
The Mondale Act of 1974 drastically altered the scope of child welfare. It was a well-intentioned law designed to stop child abuse by taking specific measures. It provided for the establishment of the National Clearinghouse for Child Abuse and Neglect Information. It also created mandated reporting by professionals like doctors and teachers. It granted protection to those who made "good faith" reports of child abuse. The number of reports of child abuse began to climb steadily.
In recent years, media attention has become more and more focused on the issue of child abuse. Horrific stories of children dead at the hands of adults has made the nation take a closer look at how our children are being protected. In response to the media spotlight, the reports of abuse have continued to poor into anonymous hotlines and law enforcement agencies. There are no accurate statistics on how many false allegations are made every year. Some of these false reports are made with malicious intent, some are made by people who don't understand what child abuse really is. If every report must be investigated to determine its validity then the cost in man hours alone must be staggering.
Obviously, part of the solution is more funding allocated to all aspects of child welfare. There has to be funding for more, and better trained, caseworkers. There should also be more funds allocated for assisting at-risk families and the children who do need out-of-home care. In conjunction with this, we need more accountability for how funds are being spent. The red tape surrounding child protection is enormous. What can be done to reduce this? More funding alone is not the answer. I have heard many suggestions for public awareness campaigns. Our tax dollars should be spent on child abuse education. Education about the problem of child abuse, what it is and how to spot it, and the obligation we have to report it. The public should also be educated about the ramifications of false accusations.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Dena Standley's Child Welfare topic, please visit the Discussions page.