Reading things like this make me ill. Not only are the news headlines full of articles about the "Don't Say Gay Bill" in Florida, but there are many others that tell tales of sexually trafficked and exploited children. It's happening right here in Texas, too. The foster care system is broken, as you might imagine and the latest news of abuse and neglect comes to us from Bastrop, Texas, the most small, historic town in Texas. Unfortunately the quaintness of the town doesn't keep it from the evil of the day.
Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is often my go-to for news of what's going on in and around Texas, and it's because of their efforts to rectify the broken foster care system and child protective services, et al, that I'm even writing about this in the first place. As I've stated in articles past, parental rights and children's rights are at the forefront of my mind and probably always will be. So when they sent this email out about children being sexually exploited in a foster home, it made me sick to my stomach, and then it made me want to write about it and share it with you all. You're welcome!
I won't go into the details of the investigation, but you can click the link to the article here if you care to read. More to the reason that I'm writing this, too is to bring your attention back to the initiative that TPPF is making to correct the problems within the foster care system. I wrote about that a few months ago when they sent out their email outlining their plans, and you can read that article here. I wholeheartedly agree with their efforts and even asked for you to either donate to TPPF to further enable their fight OR to get you to roll up your sleeves and make a few phone calls or send a few pointed emails to state representatives.
Here are a few highlights from the TPPF initiative as stated in the previous article:
- Reform Foster Care Licensing and Regulation
- Expand Community-Based Care
- Require a Guilty Verdict Before Listing Individuals in the Central Registry
- Expand Service Options for Families
- End Hidden Foster Care
- Reform CPS Reporting Laws
- Define Best Interest of a Child
- Grant Adoptees Access to Original Birth Certificates
- Assess the Impact of Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Foster Care
- Protect Children from Gender Modification
More news on Child Protective Services and their algorithm used to screen parents. This news comes out of Pennsylvania, but I figured since I was covering the topic of abuse and neglect through the foster care and CPS system, I'd include it here. There is an algorithm being used only in Allegheny, PA at the moment, but other states are considering implementing the use of said algorithm. Parents and families don't even know that they've been subject to it, either, that's the sneaky part. It's an imperfect system to be sure, according to the article. The system seemed to target more black families for investigations of neglect and it also proves faulty as the article reports that social workers have disagreed with the scores produced by the algorithm a 1/3 of the time. There is no perfect means of investigation, but there are improvements that need to made, here in Texas and all across the USA. Click here for the full article on the Allegheny.
That's a lot to chew on, but with the right support and funding, I believe it can be done. Please visit TPPF at their website linked here. If this is not a hot button issue for you, then find something that they cover or advocate for that IS important to you and support that. Any questions, feel free to comment on the blog. Thanks for reading and sharing!
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