Archive for the 'Occasional Authors' Category

What Happened To Portia?

Published
by
Mike Tikkanen
on June 9, 2010
in Invisible Children, Occasional Authors and Public Policy
. 0 Comments

I’ve known the author of the following article for a long time and only now heard her story.  It is a very sad story that happens when service providers are overworked, undertrained, and as you will read, unable to rise to their complicated tasks.

In defense of the profession, in the twelve years I worked as a guardian ad-Litem, this story did not happen to me. The social workers I was engaged with were truly committed and in this line of work because they loved kids and wanted to make a difference in their community. Social work is a calling (being a nanny pays way better and is much easier).

It is my belief that people want to do their work well, especially when it involves the welfare of abandoned, helpless children. This story does not reflect that.

When a person fails to complete a simple task, and a tragedy occurs, we (the system/management) should find the problem and insure that it can’t happen again. 

The problem lies it a system that is not well designed to see to the well being of the children it is meant to serve. This system is being undermined by our current economic chaos, and children are suffering.

There needs to be accountability and a greater responsiveness built into our child protection system. This will not happen without public support and more resources.

Not valuing children reflects badly on our society and it is beginning to show.

If children were as important as expensive business machines, the doctor would have had the authority to save this child’s life (or some other fail safe process would have been in place.

KARA supports more training, better resources, and greater attention to the needs of social workers, teachers, and service providers to at risk children, because it is difficult work.

This unfortunately cannot change what happened to Portia. Continue reading ‘What Happened To Portia?’

Invisible Children Around the World; Japan

Published
by
Mike Tikkanen
on January 7, 2010
in Kids At Risk Action (KARA), Occasional Authors and Public Policy
. 2 Comments

Our dedicated Macalaster College Volunteer Lelde has delivered another extensive report on child abuse in other developed nations. (Entire report follows with “continue reading”). England , Canada, Sweden.

Thank you Lelde.

With almost half the population of the U.S. (138M v 307M) Japan reported 33,308 cases of child abuse in 2005 compared to about 3 million cases in the U.S. In 2007, 37 Japanese children were killed by their parents compared to 1400 in the U.S.

The very first Japanese child abuse survey was conducted in 1999, along with specialized training for social workers. In 2006, the government introduced a national 10-year plan to improve child-rearing nationwide that included new 1700 community daytime childcare centers by March of 2010.

Japan is only now beginning to identify and respond to child abuse and neglect, after hundreds of years of three generations living in the same home, and the supreme authority of the oldest male, family intervention by the community is a difficult issue. Continue reading ‘Invisible Children Around the World; Japan’

Another Sad Letter

Published
by
Mike Tikkanen
on August 30, 2006
in Crime and Courts, Guardian ad-Litem, Health and Mental Health, Invisible Children, Kids At Risk Action (KARA), Occasional Authors and Public Policy
. 1 Comment


Mike,

I am the Grandmother of Amy* And we are in desperate need of many new/more voice’s of everyone of the grandparents that have lost our right to be able to see our grandchildren! Either because of the other parent getting custody or just because.

Please can you tell me what you know about being able to make the courts listen to the children and what they have to say, no matter what their age!

thank you so much!

We lost our grandaughter to a man who for some sick reason had to …Get even with our daughter! We no longer were able to see or talk to her, now she is dead!

My father has written a letter to the county and wants some answers from them as to why there is not a more indepth look at the background checks of the Other parent! I know this a very shallow explaination, but I am so lost!

Grammy!

* not a real name

This is one of the letters I’ve received from distraught grandparents trying to convince the local courts that their children were neglecting or abusing their own children.  After many years in the child protection system as a guardian ad-Litem, I’m convinced that our systems are overwhelmed and need to be re-thought to include more training, & resources, and better decision making for all involved.

Note, I too have experienced the county returning children to criminally dangerous parents and watching as they destroyed their children.

Copy this post and send it to your state representative

support abused and neglected children, start a KARA group in your community

Have something to add?  Tell us your point of view or story…

If you think  someone might appreciate this information,  press the share button below..

A Public Unconscious

Published
by
Mike Tikkanen
on October 5, 2005
in Kids At Risk Action (KARA) and Occasional Authors
. 0 Comments




The beginning of a solution to a problem begins with building support by raising public awareness.

Raising awareness about issues such as child abuse and neglect is not an easy task. Child abuse is a difficult conversation to have and in the end I have no concrete answers for fixing such a large scale problem.

It is much easier to talk with my friends about the need for a new stadium. Professional sports is a much more enjoyable conversation to have than asking what to do with the thousands of children in Child Protection Systems.

While not necessarily true, it’s easier to convince people that millions spent on stadiums will have greater economic benefits than millions spent on early childhood programs.

The complexities of policies impacting the lives of at risk children are not well explained in a twenty minute conversation.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Art Rolnick through extensive research has proved that rates of return on money spent on early childhood programs are greater than tax money spent on malls and stadiums (FedGazzette, March 2003).

But who reads the FedGazzette?

As a community we will continue to turn our backs on the hard topic of child abuse because the answers are painful and we don’t see how the issues personally impact us.

Until we take the time to explore the core problems, the public (we the people) will be unwilling to pay for long term solutions.

It may be that we are doomed to third world status in education, health care, children living in poverty, crime, and huge prison populations until we reaffirm a committment to child friendly legislation and programs.

Child abuse affects each and every one of us every day. We pay for at risk children each year in taxes & insurance premiums, and the detriment they cause our schools, health provider systems, courts, and community.

Public policy that builds new stadiums might make us a little happier on the night of the game. But the walk home could be dangerous if you live in the city. Minneapolis public schools 53% graduation rates won’t be positively impacted by a new stadium. Health care costs will continue to rise (the expense of treating at risk kids is very high). The list of impacts at risk children have on our communities is long.

I know that by sheer public will a new stadium will be built.

I don’t see a sign of a public will to end child abuse anywhere in sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contributing editor,
Chad M. Ramaker, Intern
Grasstops

Support at risk children, start a KARA group in your community today

Have something to add?  Tell us your point of view or story…

If you think  someone might appreciate this information,  press the share button below..

ShareThis

Book review: Armchair Interviews

Published
by
Mike Tikkanen
on September 11, 2005
in Guardian ad-Litem, Health and Mental Health, Invisible Children, Kids At Risk Action (KARA), Links To Audio, Mike Tikkanen, Occasional Authors, Politics and Funding, Public Policy and mike tikkanen speaking
. 0 Comments

Armchair Intervews is a website that works at “connecting authors to their readers.”

My new book, Invisible Children, was recently reviewed by Barbara Broom.

Here’s a quote:

The author packed the book with his passion and purpose: society’s involvement in children’ in abusive and dysfunctional homes’ foster care and the system in general. If you care about your community’s welfare, it is a “must read.”

Listen to the audiobook online (for free)

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/our-book/