opinion

Paul DiLorenzo describes six circles of uncertainty in the child welfare system that create an orbit of frustration for families

Ian Marx urges Washington to take action on the national level to protect benefits that belong to youth in foster care.

Around the country, child welfare systems large and small have built a front door to child protection that relies heavily on information provided to the state from the public, especially from “mandated reporters” such as school officials, doctors and police officers. 

During a recent training, a judge showed us a glimpse of his future courtroom and what awaits us when juvenile courts reopen. A plexiglass shield will separate the judge from the litigants.

Direct care staff who work with youth are our most immediate front line of support for youth who require additional adult intervention in school-based and residential environments. However, through no fault of their own, these individuals are on average the most undertrained, undersupervised, underpaid and seemingly undervalued paid professionals our youth come in contact with.

As voices everywhere speak about “our common experience of suffering” during the COVID-19 pandemic, we risk obscuring the struggles of our already marginalized young people — youth who are homeless, those being trafficked, and those involved in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. 

Hubert Humphrey once said “the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”

Tuesday’s election offers us many opportunities to make change — from candidates to resolutions. One of most importance to me personally and professionally is Pennsylvania’s ballot referendum on Marsy’s Law, a proposed Constitutional amendment that would “grant certain rights to crime victims, including being treated with fairness, respect and dignity.”

In a paper released today, the California Children’s Trust and the First 5 Center for Children’s Policy propose a paradigm shift in how California conceptualizes, delivers and funds a system of care for MediCal eligible infants, toddlers and their families.