Sunday, September 21, 2014

Were the 1990's the Unfortunate Turning Point of the Child Protective AGENCIES??

To All who believe that
Our Families, Our Children are Our Future.

I often remind others that the Child Protective AGENCY was created in 1974 by the Mondale Act, and were given these two Major Responsibilites:
  • Protecting Children
  • Strengthening Families
Noting that there was no particular Priority on which was more important.

In this particular blog and for further reading and understanding, here are Four major Topics and/or Documents:
 1.  Issue Papers from NCCPR: Family Preservation vs Foster Care
 2. Child Protection at the Crossroads:
       Child Abuse, Child Protection, and Recommendations for Reform (03/31/1998)

 3. Model State Legislation -Parental Due Process Act
  4. Know Thy Enemy

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Issue Papers from NCCPR Family Preservation vs Foster Care
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Child Protection at the Crossroads:Child Abuse, Child Protection, and Recommendations for Reform (03/31/1998)


The United States has had federally mandated child-protection laws for over a quarter of a century. Since these mandates have been in effect, child maltreatment rates have increased tremendously and child- protection agencies’ ability to handle the increase has declined:§  When CAPTA was enacted in 1973.  
  • Child-protection agencies handled about 60,000 reports of abuse and neglect; today they handle 3 million.
  •  Substantiation rates have plummeted from a high of 61 percent in 1976 to a current low of 31 percent.
  • Early estimates on confirmed abuse and neglect, while far from exact, ranged from 6,500 in 1967 to 360,000 in 1974. 

One of the Many Suggested Reforms: Repeal mandatory reporting laws that are in effect in all the states.

 "...Mandatory reporting laws, designed to encourage those who work with children to report incidents of maltreatment, have served their intended purpose of raising public awareness and have had unintended consequences. These laws create two negative effects. First, they encourage unnecessary reporting because professionals must report all of their suspicions under threat of prosecution. While such prosecutions are rare, one should not have to report suspicions. Reporting should be restricted to more concrete evidence of a crime...." Read More




The model legislation was written by a team of attorneys at Pacific Justice Institute http://www.pacificjustice.org/ in Sacramento California.

However, it never made it through the committee. Still I urge everyone to get involved with their Legislators, and hopefully, have them use part or all of this for a bill proposal in Your State. (Side Note: Express Yourself and take Our Parent Survey)
A BILL
To protect the fundamental due process rights of a parent
in proceedings to terminate parental rights.
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 Know Thy Enemy

The following is from 2 posts in my “Reform for Our Families” Blog from Dec. 2010. Two
major topics were discussed: (For further reading do Download the files at the end of this
document.)
 
         1. Plan to eliminate Child Abuse
         2. Court Training for the agents of our Child Protective Agencies.
 
Both are probably concerns for many. However, in the realm of “Due Process” is the Truth
of abuse being fairly represented?
(
Download File)


Rethinking Foster Care:
Molly McGrath Tierney at TEDxBaltimore 2014
Let's Make This Go Viral ~ Please Share
While Watching ~ Take the Parent Survey
When allegedly accused of Child Abuse or Neglect
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks and be that "One Small Voice",
Proud National Coordinator of the Family Survey Program
When One Deals with the Child Protective AGENCY>>LearnMore
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