Issue of child abuse needs more attention

Published 9:04 am Thursday, June 19, 2008

Communities all across the nation are faced with issues of child abuse and neglect. In 1985, Minnesota Legislators enacted the Minnesota Family Preservation Act.

This act is to assure that all children live in families that offer a safe, permanent relationship with nurturing parents or caretakers. Family preservation services typically include home-bases counseling/therapy, crisis-intervention response programs, family and life management skills and early intervention programs. It costs significantly more money to place and maintain a child in out-of-home placement than it does to provide a family with home-based services (Minnesota Social Service Association, 2008).

There needs to be an increase in community awareness about issues surrounding child abuse and neglect. People need to advocate for the rights and needs of these children and place more emphasis on family preservation services rather than out-of-home placement, such as foster care. Keeping the family intact and offering them tools and support should be our goal, not removing children from the home and destroying their family dynamics.

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Sarah Viktora

Geneva