Let’s Blow Up American Child Welfare and Start Over

Let’s Blow Up American Child Welfare and Start Over

You know the look. You’ve finally managed to get out of the office like your family and friends said you should. You’ve dressed up a bit and made it to a social event where you’ll meet some engaging and smart people who do things other than represent stigmatized, deeply challenged children and parents. You’re swapping stories and chuckles, and actually starting to believe that there’s life out there beyond the confines of your caseload. And then someone asks what you do, and you tell them, and you get that look. Not rolling their eyes exactly, as these are sensitive folks who know they should consider what you do important. Instead, it’s a slump of the shoulders, a tilt of the head, and a weak, wan smile in the eyes and on the lips that says, “Oh, you poor thing.” An esteemed public policy professor once gave me that look after I told her what I wanted to do with my life, as she said, “Oh, God. Talk about your intractable social problems…”