In Minnesota the MinneMinds collaborative is increasing child abuse prevention resources for young children.
Once child maltreatment victims age off the prenatal-to-five policy agenda however, they nearly disappear as a public priority – until they emerge as youth needing deep-end services like the Attorney General’s program for sex trafficking victims.
Actually, the fact that over 60% of sex trafficked youth and 57% of homeless youth were abused is evidence that child welfare’ response during children’s middle years is frequently too little and too late.
This Child Welfare Monitor examination of shrinking child welfare funding shows the low priority given to child abuse nationally, as does Congress’ failure to help fight the explosion in child pornography, documented by this grim New York Times report.
Let’s make children a priority throughout their childhood.
When have you seen or experienced the child welfare system giving low priority to a child’s needs? Please share your story with us or on your own blog/page and add the hashtag #kidstoo