|
 According to 2004 data collected and analyzed by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), an estimated 3 million children were allegedly abused or neglected and investigated by State and local child protective services agencies. Ultimately, approximately 872,000 children nationwide were victims of maltreatment. In Sacramento County, an estimated 5,000 children were removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.
According to NCANDS, African-American children, Pacific Islander children, and American Indian or Alaska Native children had the highest rates of child abuse at 19.9, 17.6, and 15.5 per 1,000 children of the same race or ethnicity, respectively. White children and Hispanic children had rates of approximately 10.7 and 10.4 per 1,000 children of the same race or ethnicity, respectively.
Data suggests that most perpetrators of child abuse are the child's parents, followed by other relatives. In fact, approximately 79 percent of perpetrators are the parents. Other relatives accounted for 7 percent and unmarried partners of parents accounted for approximately 4 percent of perpetrators.
Depending on the level of the abuse, many of these children are removed from their parents and their homes. After going through the child dependency court processes, which can easily take well over a year, if these children are not returned to their parents, many are placed in long-term foster care. This is because many of these children are not adopted or placed under a legal guardianship with a suitable adult.
Nationwide, according to NCANDS, approximately 19 percent of child victims of abuse are ultimately placed in the foster care system. In California, unfortunately, the percentages are similar.
Statewide, of the children placed in foster care, according to statistics listed on the website of Sacramento Child Advocates, Inc. (www.sacchildadv.com), only about 9-10 % of these young people will attend a college or university. Of these individuals, fewer than 1% will graduate with a four-year degree. The painful truth is that nearly 25% of these young people will become incarcerated within the first few years of leaving the foster care system. In addition, nearly 33% will become homeless within the first year of being released from foster care. These statistics suggest that many of these child victims of abuse may later contribute to social ills as they grow into adulthood.
Child victims of abuse in the foster care system need additional help. Moreover, child welfare issues deserve more attention from the media and lawmakers. Should this occur, it seems only reasonable that various social problems will be reduced in the future. In other words, a little effort now can help prevent larger issues—issues that affect us all as a society—from developing in the future. Unfortunately, many people are totally unaware of child welfare issues. Thus, informing the community about these concerns is a good starting point.
On July 6, 2006, the Wiley Manuel Bar Association of Sacramento County (WMBA) sponsored a CLE event that addressed various issues concerning child dependency and welfare. The co-presenters of this event were the Honorable Referee Natalie Lindsey of the Sacramento County Child Dependency Court, and Dorinda Wiseman, a social worker from Sacramento County Child Protective Services.
WMBA received favorable feedback from this event. In fact, many participants asked whether WMBA would be sponsoring another child dependency law program in the future. The participants revealed that they had not been aware of various child welfare issues. Given that many of these participants were members of the legal community, an interesting concern is how many in the general public are aware of child welfare issues, as well as the ramifications of such issues? However, programs such as this WMBA event are a step in the right direction.
The WMBA Board thanks Natalee Lindsey, Dorinda Wiseman and all of the participants for taking time from their busy schedules to help WMBA reach out to Sacramento County regarding child welfare and dependency matters. As indicated at the presentation, this issue affects a significant number of children in the African-American community and beyond. Therefore, informing people about child welfare matters is of great importance. WMBA thanks those who work towards protecting all of our children.
Jean-Pierre Francillette is a Staff Counsel in the Administrative Litigation Unit of the California Department of Health Services, Office of Legal Services. Previously, he worked for Sacramento Child Advocates, Inc., a nonprofit entity, representing abused children in child dependency court hearings. Jean-Pierre is currently Vice-President of the Wiley Manuel Bar Association.
January/February 2007
|
