● I missed this excellent story from Youth Today about the value of high-quality family representation in New York when it ran in June.
● In
this story for Reason attorney Diane Redleaf describes how
so-called “child abuse pediatricians” can traumatize families by jumping to the
conclusion that even the slightest bruise on a child must be abuse. She also
discusses proposed federal legislation that would make everything worse. “If these bills become law,” she writes, “any
parent who has a baby with a bruise—regardless of whether it's from a medical
condition, or even from learning to crawl—could get entangled in a months-long
battle to maintain custody.”
As you read the story, try to imagine what would have
happened had the family Redleaf profiles been poor.
● At least 40 percent of America’s foster children live in
states where court hearings in child welfare cases are open. But reporters
rarely show up. The Arizona Republic rectified that, at least for the moment, in a big
way. They sent 12 reporters who try to observe every child welfare court
hearing in the state’s largest juvenile court on one day. Here’s
the result.
● The
New York Times has a story about
an important piece of children’s rights legislation now on New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo’s desk. It would preserve the
right of adopted children to maintain contact with their birth parents after
termination of parental rights – if a judge ruled it was in the children’s best
interests. Naturally, the commissioner
of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services, David Hansell, and
much of the state’s child welfare establishment is against it.
● Voices for Children in
Nebraska has a good data snapshot concerning racial disparities at the very
beginning of the child welfare process in that state: who gets called in to the
hotline. There’s
a story about it in the Lincoln Journal
Star: And the
full report is here
● In an interview with NPR concerning family separation at
the Mexican border, an ACLU lawyer says: "Can you imagine how many
Americans would lose their children if [a minor offense] was a basis for taking
away your child?"
Actually, yes – something I discuss in
this post to this blog.
Of course, if you’re poor you already know this. The New
York Times has a case in point in
this story.
