Thursday, October 6, 2022

NCCPR in Youth Today: Texas caseworkers give us a lesson in whose lives matter

Sixteen current and former employees of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) have filed an amicus brief as part of a lawsuit trying to stop Gov. Greg Abbott from using the family police – a more accurate term than child protective services – to persecute transgender children.  This is the money quote: 

“Professionals at DFPS did not enter the child protection profession to remove children from loving homes with parents or guardians merely because they follow medical advice and a doctor’s care, only to place them in a foster care system that is riddled with actual abuse, sexual assault, and even sex trafficking,” [Emphasis added.] 

Among them, the 16 workers spent 129 years at DFPS.  Most were there for at least five years.  Some were frontline caseworkers, some were supervisors, at least two were managers. Five are still on the job. 

Yes, they did the right thing in coming forward.  Yes, it took courage for those who left their jobs.  But consider what these workers are confessing: They freely admit that day after day, year, after year, they took children from their parents and consigned them to “a foster care system that is riddled with actual abuse, sexual assault, and even sex trafficking.” ...

Read the full column in Youth Today