Thank you Howard for sending this to me.
This New Yorker article is better than anything I’ve ever written or read about child abuse and child protection in our nation. Larissa MacFarquhar at the New Yorker gives both sides of the impossible dilemma faced by child protection workers, judges and parents when a child abuse claim is made. What shouldn’t happen and what should happen for the safety of a child and the integrity of the institutions of family and child protection.
Repercussions of a child abuse report last forever (what’s it like for the child to hear the specific abuse charges brought against you), parents sometimes not allowed to say goodbye, what is imminent danger and how long before you get a hearing (in some communities a year is common).
This well written and compelling article should drive the conversation about better practices and big problems this nation faces thousands of times a day. As a long time volunteer CASA guardian ad Litem, I have great empathy for parents and terrible fear of imminent harm to children along with a real fear of being wrong about a decision.
37% of children are reported to child protective services in America by the time they are 18. There are 80+ million children in America today. Child abuse and child protection are arguably the largest public health threat we face as a nation. We all should be more informed about it and this is a good place to start.
All Adults Are The Protectors of All Children