- Experts say births outside marriage grow out of changing norms, class divide, By Taya Flores and David Smith, January 27, 2013, Lafayette Journal and Courier: “Kionni Sheldon, a 22-year-old Lafayette single mom, is frank when discussing her decision to have a baby on her own rather than seek a long-term relationship with the child’s father. The McCutcheon High School graduate said she dated her baby’s father for about four months when she learned of her pregnancy, which was unplanned. She ended the relationship soon after, she said. ‘He got very controlling,’ Sheldon said. And while she agreed that being married is the ‘proper’ way to begin parenting, ‘you shouldn’t have to do it that way…'”
- Fragile families challenge parents, children and support agencies, By Taya Flores and David Smith, January 27, 2013, Lafayette Journal and Courier: “As a young girl, Treecee Arnett says, she dreamed of her wedding day. She envisioned a fairy tale event in a large church adorned with ice sculptures and royal blue and cream decorations. She would wear an open back dress with a tiara. Arnett has yet to realize that dream. ‘I haven’t found the right one,’ the Lafayette woman said. ‘Some of them do have the potential to be great husbands, but they are caught up in that ‘thug’ life.’ As marriage plans failed to materialize, motherhood did not wait. Arnett’s first child came when she was 16. Now 35, she’s a single mother of and sole provider for three teens. Her children have three different fathers, none of whom is involved in his kids’ lives. ‘I do have a child support order on them, but they are not paying support,’ she said. Arnett’s family situation — and the pressures it brings to bear on providing everything from food and clothing to making sure her children get a good education — is more common than many might realize…”
Tag: Agencies
States and Child Welfare Services
US states scramble to pay for child welfare services-GAO, Reuters, January 30, 2013, Chicago Tribune: “U.S. states are patching together funds from a variety of sources to care for thousands of children who have been abused or neglected, but they are still struggling to meet demand for services, a federal watchdog agency said on Wednesday. ‘Child welfare agencies, like other state agencies, operate in an environment of ongoing fiscal constraint,’ the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a special report. ‘They must make difficult choices about how to allocate their limited resources.’ In 2011, an estimated 6.2 million children were referred to child welfare agencies because they showed signs of possible maltreatment, GAO said…”
Denver Post Series on Child Welfare System
Failed to death, series home page, November 2012, Denver Post: “Day 1: More than 40 percent of children who died of abuse and neglect in the last six years in Colorado were known to child protection workers. Day 2: Caseworkers are the backbone of the system but often fail to follow state policies. Day 3: Some children never get a chance for help because their cases were ‘screened out.’ Day 4: Too often child welfare workers and law enforcement fail to work together. Day 5: Funding inequities have plagued Colorado s child welfare system. Day 6: People who kill children serve much less prison time than those who kill adults. Day 7: Abused children often suffer from a long-term psychological impact. Day 8: There are answers to the problems that face Colorado s child welfare system but they require political will and often money…”