Be A Squeaky Wheel For Children

AAA Featured Slider Post, education, for the record, Health and Mental Health, Kids At Risk Action (KARA), Politics and Funding, Public Policy, Statistics & Facts, The StatesLeave a comment

Annual teacher turnover is highest in Arizona (24%) and New Mexico (23%) Minnesota is 14th highest in teacher turnover.

After my workshop in New York at the United Nations Annual Youth Assembly, a line of ex social workers formed to tell me their stories of why they quit. Annual social worker turnover has been 20 to 40% for many years with individual agency rates as high as 65%.

Police officer turnover rates fall in the middle of teacher/social turnover rates (about 14%) but their suicide, divorce & substance abuse rates are significantly higher.

KARA’s Top Stories The Week of 5.17.19

child abuse, Child Death, Children's Rights, Kids At Risk Action (KARA), Reporting, Statistics & Facts, The StatesLeave a comment

AZ: Child-welfare cases are private. Does that protect the kids, or the state officials? (Commentary)
Arizona Republic – May 03, 2019
When news broke that a Maricopa woman had been accused of starving, pepper-spraying, and otherwise abusing seven adopted children, questions immediately turned to what the Department of Child Safety knew and when the agency knew it.

Child Abuse – Minnesota’s Public Health Issue

CASA, Health and Mental Health, Kids At Risk Action (KARA), Politics and Funding, Public Policy, Statistics & FactsLeave a comment

Today’s edition presented multiple articles (linked below) on at risk children and mental health.

It has taken some years to get here but it is apparent to this volunteer CASA guardian ad Litem that my state is waking up to the public health crisis of child protection and children’s mental health.

County Sees Drop in Child Protection Caseloads (by almost half) is the best news I’ve seen about child abuse since the Governor’s Task Force on Child Protection was formed in 2014.

Investing in social workers (adding 262 workers) and transforming the system means…