Sunday, May 24, 2009

Getting Child Protection Right

It's been some time since I've posted here. In the interim, my kids got me to join Facebook. Shortly thereafter, I established a Cause there with the same name as the title of this post. One purpose of that cause is to raise funds for The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, a non-profit corporation based in Northern Virginia, whose executive director is Richard Wexler.

When we were in the meatgrinder of the CPS system, I really wanted someone to help us get out of it, and naturally I went to the Internet for information. But now, with the benefit of the passage of time, I know that the real solution to how we, as a society, handle issues of child abuse and neglect must come on the policy level that will influence state legislators to take the action necessary to make the reforms that children and families so need and deserve.

Here in California, where state finances are in turmoil, this could be an opportunity for reform ideas to take root. If there could be a non-governmental alternative to addressing cases of child abuse/neglect, one involving extended families, friends and support communities, what a different experience children and families in crisis would have.