For the past six years, the Maine Child Welfare Action Network has highlighted challenges and opportunities to improve our state’s child welfare system. In that time, public and policymaker discussions have been understandably focused on tragedies and the role of the state child protection agency. It is important that the state agency intervention is effective when children are unsafe. We must also pay equal attention to what we know children and families need to be safe and stable.

Our efforts must focus on investment in essential supports like child care, food and housing, and supportive services for substance use, mental health and domestic violence. Coordination to get resources directly to families when they need them, without fear or shame, is critical. We must also take steps to ensure that all Maine children, regardless of personal characteristics or life circumstances, have equal opportunity to experience safety and stability with their families.

The foundation of the child welfare system rests on our understanding of the roles of community and the state child protection agency, and a shared commitment to meeting the needs of children and families. Clear definitions of child abuse and neglect and the most appropriate and effective role of mandated reporters are essential to being able to successfully support families and keep children safe.

Maine’s current definition of child abuse and neglect is vague, conflates neglect with poverty and does not provide sufficient guidance for the long list of professionals who are required to report suspected abuse and neglect. This, along with heightened awareness and fear due to highly publicized child deaths, has led to a harmful strain on our child protection agency. Families are overreported, and most reports are not appropriate for investigation. Families that are reported unnecessarily often don’t receive sthe ervices they may need and experience further mistrust of a system with the power to take their children away. This makes it less likely parents will seek help when they need it.

Flooding our child protection agency with unnecessary reports stretches the system’s capacity, making it less able to effectively intervene when children are truly unsafe.

Maine should consider changes to our state’s definitions of child abuse and neglect and mandated reporting. These clarifications will ensure families are better supported by community members when this would better meet their needs, and the child protection agency is able to respond effectively when children are at risk of serious harm.

Advertisement

It is critical that state and community partners, policymakers and the broader public come together to better support children and families in our communities. This means clearly defining the differing roles of the state and the community and providing education, training and support to community members who are best situated to support families. It also means developing a better infrastructure for collaboration between and among state and community partners.

The families we work with don’t tell us they need more government intervention in their lives — they need people in their community who can work with them and genuinely care about them, without judgment. State leaders and policymakers have an important role to play in ensuring that community-based supports and services are available for families. If we want more children to not only be safe with their families but to thrive, this must be at the center of our efforts.

We must also recognize how other systems affect the effectiveness of the child welfare system. Failures in the children’s behavioral health system to provide appropriate placements for children and youth have resulted in child protective workers having to provide coverage in emergency rooms and hotels. To address the many complex challenges families face that can lead to child welfare and other systems involvement, we must make investments in all of the systems that are meant to support the well-being of children and their parents.

Maine can and must do better to support the safety and stability of children in our state. Our efforts will fall short if we focus solely on the role of the state child protective agency. The solutions are with children and families and the support they need in their communities to thrive. We must do more to better support parents and families, so they can provide safety and stability for their children. We hope you will join us.

Join the Conversation

Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.