PLATFORM : Hurting the Helpless

The welfare reform bill known as the Personal Responsibility Act, passed by the House of Representatives March 24, would dramatically alter our nation’s system for protecting children. It would gut child protective laws established in 1980 under the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act.

This is distinctly not a “welfare” program. By judicial determination, these children have become wards of the court for their own safety. Yet Title II of this bill would fold the 1980 law into a block grant to states and eliminate the guarantee of federal assistance for children at risk. It would also cut funding by $2.7 billion over five years for programs for abused and neglected children served by local public and private children’s services agencies like Five Acres. (Federal funding now pays about half the cost of foster care, residential treatment, shelter and group-home programs.)

While Five Acres served 585 children and 417 adult family members last year, we received vastly more requests for placement and services than we could handle. Children, youth and families will be hurt by the slashing of programs and funding designed to support them and keep them safe.

We must remove the goals of child-abuse prevention and treatment programs from discussion on welfare reform. It’s worth taking a moment to consider what dismantling our best hope for child protection means to the future of our country.