Efforts needed to protect kids (6/5/03)

I am finally writing this letter after spending the last 15 years working within social service agencies that frequently refer cases of child abuse or neglect to the Division of Family and Children (previously known as Child Protective Services). My frustration over how children are treated has reached a boiling point. I am hopeful that by letting the public know about the policies in place to “protect” our children within our state, some citizens may feel compelled to write their representatives and ask that these mandated policies be changed.

Throughout my encounters with other professionals, including teachers, counselors, pastors and so forth, I have found that the majority of our citizens blame the caseworkers at the DFC for failure to protect our children. Unfortunately, it is not common knowledge in our community that caseworkers are mandated by our current laws to repeatedly try to reunify these children with the parents who have abused the child.

Even though I am not totally against this idea, I think it is important for the average citizen to note that if one adult injures another adult, he/she is arrested. If a person injures an animal in a cruel manner, he or she can be arrested. If a person injures a child, and that child happens to be their child, he or she will usually not be charged with any crime. In other words, children somehow rank lower than animals in our present society.

My frustration comes not from the fact that caseworkers try to reunite some families where there is a family structure in place that will allow for change and growth. The frustrating part is that in most cases, these caseworkers are reuniting families that have previously been referred many times for neglect, physical or sexual abuse, and where the parents remain openly hostile to that child for talking to authorities.

I feel the philosophy promoted by the supervisor of Jay County Division of Family and Children is that everyone deserves a second chance. I guess I would challenge him on that view. First, it is usually not the parent’s first referral. Second, if the parent is openly hostile toward that child, is it all right to allow them to continue to injure that child again because they deserve a “second chance?”

In summary, currently the laws in Indiana treat children like property. Caseworkers, under the current policy, which was explained to me by our local caseworker and her supervisor, will not allow them to remove a child even from an openly hostile parent until another injury is found on that child.

This to me is how our children continue to end up dead or permanently injured from abuse and then the community follows with an outcry for justice.

Justice, in this case, will only be served by treating children like people instead of property. Abusive adults need to know that if they abuse a child, there will not be repeated chances to hurt that child again. That’s called being a grown-up and being responsible for one’s actions.

Our responsibility as citizens is to take the necessary steps to insure that laws are “child friendly” and are enforced.

Please be sure your representatives know how you feel about the current mandates on our caseworkers — many of whom I am friends with and who I must watch battle their consciences every day when they keep sending children home to individuals who will never be able or willing to be responsible parents.

Amanda Omstead

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