Federal act will help Washington state keep children safe, families together
Passage of the Children & Family Services Improvement & Innovation Act will keep more families together, keep more children safe and allow Washington state to put limited dollars to the best possible use, writes state Rep. Ruth Kagi.
Ok, maybe this law is a good start. But what would really make Washington families safer is figuring out how to keep caseworkers from lying to the courts. How can we do that? How can we make it easier to prosecute them when they lie? Or how can we provide incentives for them to be truthful?
ReplyDeletePublic defenders compound the problem when they refuse to submit statements correcting caseworker lies and omissions, even when the parents have prepared these statements themselves. In other words, not only do the public defenders refuse to do meaningful work for their clients, they actively prevent their clients from working on their own behalf.
Until we address this type of corruption, families will continue to suffer unnecessary trauma, separation, and expense at the hands of CPS.