Child Safety Is a Community Responsibility

By David Sanders, Chairman

December 15, 2014

When child protective services is involved with a family, the child’s safety is the first concern. But too often, we hear stories of children dying who were known to child protective services (CPS), some even while receiving in-home or out-of-home services. Why do so many children continue to die, right under our noses? We asked this question of presenters at our most recent state public hearing in Burlington, Vermont.

To some, the concept of “safety” may seem simple: If CPS finds that a child has been harmed, the child should be considered “unsafe.” Common sense suggests that these must be among the first questions a social worker asks: What happened? What are the continued threats present for this child? Will his caregivers protect him? They must be asked right away, and repeatedly, for as long as CPS is involved with the family.

The reality of determining the safety of a child, however, is far more complicated. CPS social workers struggle every day with complex questions, such as:

• Is a child’s injury the result of a one-time incident (for example, a bruise on the arm from stopping a toddler running into traffic), or does it indicate a pattern of abuse?
• How vulnerable is the child to future harm? (A child’s age, physical ability, and mental capacity all play a role—as do the caregiver’s capacity and mental health.)
• Can a caregiver protect the child from threats? (Is an “accident” the result of an isolated lapse in supervision, or is it evidence of the family’s inability—for example, due to substance abuse—to keep the child safe?)
• If the child is in immediate danger, what is the best way to respond? Does she need to be removed from home, or can the concerns be managed through in-home services?

For the sake of our children, we all must be willing to wrestle with tough questions like these. As we are hearing again and again in public hearings around the country, the best answers will be found when we recognize that a community’s child welfare system is more than just CPS—it must include law enforcement, domestic violence services, mental health, substance abuse treatment, health care, the judiciary, and more. While many of the children who die are previously known to CPS, even more are known to this larger system.

Theresa Costello (left), Executive Director of ACTION for Child Protection, offers her expertise on safety assessment at the CECANF state public meeting in Burlington, Vermont on October 23. Throughout the day, Commissioners heard many perspectives on the subject of child safety, including testimony from law enforcement, public health, mental health, domestic violence, and substance abuse professionals.

We all must do a better job of assessing and ensuring the safety of children in dangerous situations: Police officers, when responding to reports of drug activity and finding a child in the home. Domestic violence advocates, when a mother’s boyfriend threatens to kill her. Substance abuse counselors, when a parent shows up for detox. Even primary care physicians, when a family fails to bring their infant in for scheduled well-child visits. Current state laws limit these community members’ roles to reporting the situation to CPS. But effectively preventing fatalities will require a broader, more coordinated response throughout the system.

Where are the children? What do they need? Who is watching over them? These questions must be answered not just by CPS, but by all who care about the safety and well-being of children. The Commission is particularly focused on this issue. We would like your thoughts about what those who care about children can and should do—beyond reporting to CPS—to ensure they are safe. What should a community-wide child protection system look like? How can this be accomplished? Where do such systems already exist, and how are they working?

Please help us by submitting your thoughts via this website. We look forward to hearing from you.