● By now almost everyone has heard about the Pennsylvania
school district that threatened to turn in parents to child protective services
– and risk having the children placed in foster care – if they didn’t pay their
school lunch debts. People were
outraged. But there is nothing unusual
about school districts using child protective services agencies as a weapon to
force families to do what they want. It happens because we allow it to happen.
On the NCCPR Blog: How half a century of horror stories that
bear no resemblance to what CPS agencies typically see, combined with
politicians trying to score points by “cracking down on child abuse” have led
us to this: a
child welfare surveillance state where everyone is under constant suspicion
and CPS is the weapon of choice for all sorts of bureaucratic bullies.
● Speaking of CPS bullying, there’s nothing unusual about
child protective services agencies retaliating against families who dare to
speak out against them. What is unusual it putting the threat right
into the case plan. Thatt’s
what happened in Arizona.
In an
open letter, 27 scholars warn about the racial bias and other flaws in the
use of predictive analytics in criminal justice. The dangers are at least as great in child welfare.
● And David Kelly, special assistant to the acting commissioner
for the federal Administration on
Children, Youth and Families writes
on the Rethinking Foster Care blog about some of America’s great anthems,
and the need for one for families.
