On June 25, VTDigger featured commentary by Boston University School of Social Work Professor and Department of Social Welfare Policy Chair Mary Elizabeth Collins<\/b>, Ph. D. <\/b>In the article, Collins discusses the need for a sustained commitment to children.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting children and supporting families challenges each of our states\u2019 child welfare systems,\u201d Collins says. \u201cThe challenge is also shared internationally with those countries that have developed professional social service systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
While modest solutions are available, Collins calls for a reorientation to the work of child protection \u2014 \u201cone that aims for a commitment to anti-poverty interventions, opportunities for families to gain an economic foothold, and mending of the social safety net.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA more fundamental reorientation to the work might include the adoption of a children\u2019s rights framework to guide our policy response,\u201d Collins says, as nearly all countries of the world are adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. \u201cChildren and youth would have an entitlement to the needed services and supports to obtain safety, permanency and well-being \u2013 the three outcomes that are currently the focus of U.S. child welfare policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe moral commitment needs to be shared amongst the people of each community, state and the nation as a whole,\u201d Collins says about the responsibility of child protection. \u201cThere is much in the larger context that must be shared by political leaders, universities, public and private agencies, faith communities, business and the citizenry in order to move toward effective and sustained change.\u201d<\/p>\n