When child protection services fail babies, handicapped, and other at risk children, their only recourse is the courts. Yesterday’s Ohio lawsuit by two children forced to sleep in cages
also names caseworkers and county department of family family services.
As a long time guardian ad-Litem, I know that it is overworked, and under resourced caseworkers with giant caseloads that can’t stay on top of the building nightmare that is county child protection services and not mean or lazy people that we are reading about more and more.
State of Nevada pays for lost two year old foster child
Seven year old foster child hangs himself
Murdered metro baby
Blaming social workers for children living in cages & babies found in dumpsters is wrong. Supporting people programs and policies that help abused and neglected children is right.
Social work is is grueling, the pay is poor, the support can be non existent, and the results can be disastrous. It’s like blaming teachers for failing students, the police for the terrible crime that just happened, or the doctor for a failed medical outcome.
Without resources, without support, without help, everything is much harder.
Try being a social worker with way too many needy children to see in a week and way too little to offer them to ease the pain of growing up in a really dysfunctional family.
Try being an abused or neglected child and making your way in the world without the help of the community. It is almost impossible.
Is the only way to bring children out of the shadows and a state of chattel to sue counties and states after children have been forced to live in cages, walk thirty five miles home in sub zero temperatures (my story), or drown in bath tubs after 14 police and social worker calls to the home?
If there are attorneys reading this blog that are interested in pursuing these kinds of cases, please contact KARA with an email.