I am deeply concerned by the new national tagline to “Be Relentless for Families” and how it might undermine interventions for abused kids and teens.
Buzzwords can be helpful - and buzzwords can be dangerous. Because they influence people’s actions. For example, that whole “ending foster care by 2020” thing? Never happened. But it did shift the focus of policy and decision making.
Can a system that has been advised to be “relentless for families” respond in a helpful manner to a teen is begging for themselves and their siblings to be safeguarded from further abuse? Or will it be more likely that they are sent back to that unsafe situation?
It’s great to support families in need of help. All in favor of that. But we should never abandon the cause of child protection. Child protection needs to remain the North Star.
We’ve had numerous young people who have run away from abusive bio/adoptive families, seeking help. Many were sent right back. At least one has been sent to juvenile detention as punishment for running away. A question we've been asked by youth who have experienced abuse is, "Why does my family have more rights than I do?"
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