Child Protective Services Needs Reform

When you think of the Child Protective Services of our nation, your thoughts are probably something along the lines of, "Good organization, they're helping protect children." Most people believe it's a highly effective service and they know what they're doing. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that the system is failing, and the children who need the most help are often not receiving it.

Why is it that the system feels the need to ignore blatantly obvious needs, and focuses on parents doing their job to the best of their ability? Parents who make certain that their children have a roof over their head, food in their stomach and clothes on their back are being targeted on the grounds that they "lack parenting skills". What makes them lack these skills? Apparently the fact they don't sit with their children all day long and play with them, but instead sit down periodically and play with them when time permits throughout the day. Making sure they have food in their stomach at proper times, making certain they're clean and napping when they should doesn't appear to matter, and allowing your children to sit down in front of the television and watch the educational shows on PBS such as Barney so you might have some time so clean is a sin.

Last year, I gave a speech in my colleges public speaking course about how the system was failing. When giving my speech I spoke about children that had been neglected and abused were being left to fend for themselves- sometimes dying as a result. I referenced a case regarding an infant who's mother cut the child's arm off and then calmly called 911. A case that had been investigated not long before, and the local services had stated she posed no threat to the child. I noted the children that died because their parents hadn't fed them also cases that had been reported and ignored. I was horrified as I researched for my speech, learning of the deaths of children that could have easily been avoided if the local services had only taken proper action.