Today’s guest blogger is Beth Ringer.
On February 24, 2016, the Huffpost Politics blog posted an article written by Dr. Jeremy Christopher Kohomban (CEO of Children’s Village in New York) and Jess Dannhauser (CEO of Graham Windham) titled Towards Equity: Bi-partisan Federal Legislation Tackles Racial Disproportionality and Puts Families First. The article explains the importance of the Families First Act, a bi-partisan bill proposed by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Ron Wyden. The initiative seeks to increase federal funding for services that will help children at risk of entry into foster care remain safely with their families. The proposed legislation would fund interventions such as substance abuse treatment, support for parenting/pregnant teens in foster care, in-home parenting skills, crisis intervention, mental health treatment, post-residential aftercare, and short-term financial assistance for families who are caring for children. The authors explain the importance of the Family First Act by saying, “The Family First Act is, for the first time, an effort by the Federal Government to substantially invest in pragmatic, early intervention for all families to prevent unnecessarily destroying families.”
The strength of this article is its nuanced perspective on challenges in the child welfare system. The authors describe the connection between substance abuse and the child welfare system. The article states, “About 75% of child neglect cases nationally involve parents who abuse alcohol or drugs.” When police and communities view substance abuse as a health concern instead of a criminal issue, fewer children enter into the child welfare system. The authors recognize racial disparities in child welfare and point out that re-classifying substance abuse as a health problem may be racially motivated. They state, “Heroin and prescription abuse is highest among whites, who are the least likely to have their children removed into foster care and the most likely to receive treatment assistance instead of prosecution.”
The article also recognizes that there are sometimes situations where treatment is not sufficient to mitigate the risks of parental substance abuse—children may still need to be removed for safety. They explain that this piece of legislation will not solve all the problems of the child welfare system, but recognize that it will make a meaningful difference to resolving racial disparities and supporting families.
This article dispels myths about permanency by reinforcing a paradigm shift in the way the general public views families struggling with substance abuse and child neglect. The authors explain the importance of early intervention and supports that allow families to safely remain intact. The article also emphasizes the shift in perspective from viewing substance abuse as a criminal issue to a health concern.
Read the HuffPost Family First Article.