Waubonsee Community College

Childhood denied, ending the nightmare of child abuse and neglect, Kathleen Kelley Reardon, Christopher T. Noblet

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Childhood denied

bibliography

185031299

Kathleen Kelley Reardon, Christopher T. Noblet

"Childhood Denied is an expose of how the United States ignores and often discards its most vulnerable children. Delving into the political, legal, and social factors of children at risk for abuse and neglect, it chronicles the plight of abused children across the nation and provides a "report card" for each state. With practical, journalistic, and social scientific approach, this book emboldens child welfare professionals, government representatives, lawmakers, child attorneys, law enforcers, and the general public to respond more effectively and consistently to the needs of children at risk."--Jacket

ending the nightmare of child abuse and neglect

Foreword : these are -- Our kids as well as theirs / Peter Samuelson, Sherry Quirk -- Foreword / Robert C. Fellmeth -- Foreword / Charles D. Gill -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Keepers of the plan -- What is abuse and neglect -- From good practices to abuse and neglect -- Efforts at defining abuse and neglect -- Elaboration on child maltreatment -- Damage beyond the visible -- Variations in definitions -- Extent of the problem now--again a blurred picture -- The unrelenting cycle of abuse -- Indicators of abuse -- Indicators of emotional abuse -- When poverty, race, and abuse collide -- Endnotes -- 2. The best interests of the child -- When should the state intervene? -- A universal term? -- The pioneering research -- Aiming at the canon -- The definition frames our reality -- Best interests across the United States -- Abusing the term? -- Empty promises -- A crying need for change -- Factors to include when determining the best interests of a child -- Administrative continuity -- Physical safety and welfare -- Moral, emotional, intellectual, social needs -- Individual needs -- Desires and wishes -- Family bonds -- Solutions -- Summary -- Endnotes -- 3. Lost in the system : confidentiality and secrecy -- The confidentiality barrier -- Why? -- The first star approach -- What policy can do -- Lost in the system -- Summary -- Endnotes -- 4. A brief history of child custody issues related to abuse and neglect -- The father : a master's rights -- The mother : legal impotence -- Child custody law in the New Republic, 1790-1890 -- Early U.S. cases -- The courts -- Evolution of best interests standard and Tender Years Doctrine -- "Placing out" -- The state as superparent : the Progressive Era, 1890-1920 -- Child saving and childsavers -- Child placement -- In the best interests of the child? 1960-1990 -- Removal of children and termination of parental rights -- Foster care and adoption -- Summary -- Endnotes5. Silenced by the law -- I hear you knocking--but you can't come in -- A little history -- Should a child have a say in court? -- Validating the decision in the child's mind -- Only lawyers can provide due process -- Why can't the judge do it? -- Why can't social workers do it? -- How old should a child be to have a voice? -- What if the child and lawyer disagree? -- Lawyers will need to spend time with kids -- Attorneys must be trained to interview children -- A bright spot -- Endnotes -- 6. Foster care today -- Foster families challenged on every side -- The foster care system today -- Federal inflexibility hurts foster kids -- The straightjacket tightens -- Foster care "drift" -- A hopeful sign -- Training for foster families -- Aging out of the system : where do I go from here? -- A proposal for university-based foster care -- Summary -- Endnotes -- 7. Caseworker and police challenges--who you gonna call? -- The extent of their burden -- The systemic problem -- Assessing training -- What can the federal government do? -- A kind of ROTC for caseworkers -- Learning from mistakes -- Challenges of police involvement -- Summary -- Endnotes -- 8. The politics of child abuse and neglect -- How bad is the situation? -- Why haven't we fixed it? -- Polarization and the damage done -- The realities on the ground -- Why is this the case and how do we change it? -- Children don't vote -- Sexy stories give cover to cowardly news hounds -- Race and class -- Breaking through political barriers -- Strength through cooperation -- Publicize best practices -- Sue the laggards -- Challenge the secrecy laws -- Reverse the DeShaney decision -- Amend the U.S. Constitution -- Ratify the UN Convention on Children's Rights -- Endnotes -- Appendix -- Index -- About the authors