Child welfare system reforms shouldn’t leave incarcerated mothers behind
In a House divided, Republicans and Democrats have found surprising common ground: Reforming the nation's sprawling child welfare system.
The Protecting America’s Children by Strengthening Families Act, which passed the House on a bipartisan vote last month, is the first attempt in 16 years to reform the system through which 200,000 children are removed from their homes every year.
The bill is a huge step in the right direction. It’s also nowhere near enough.
The bill’s biggest change is to allow child welfare funds to be used to provide short-term support for housing, transportation, food and other essentials for families struggling with poverty. The goal is to help parents meet their children’s basic needs, rather than remove their children because they can’t provide for them.
That’s critically important. But one extremely vulnerable group is unlikely to benefit: incarcerated mothers and their babies.
We have decades of experience working with incarcerated mothers, one of us as a researcher and advocate and the other as a formerly incarcerated mother and the program director of the nonprofit Motherhood Beyond Bars.
In 2020, we launched Birth Beyond Bars, the first study to follow both children exposed prenatally to incarceration and their caregivers during the critical first three years of life.
When fathers go to prison, mothers usually continue to care for their children. But when mothers are incarcerated, children are five times more likely to enter foster care. Even when mothers find a family member to care for their children, the child welfare system is often quick to remove them.
Sometimes this happens with casual cruelty: One incarcerated woman we met had arranged for an aunt to care for her baby girl. Shortly after the baby was born, however, authorities whisked her off to foster care — without notifying either the mother or the aunt, leaving them frantic with worry.
It is not surprising, then, that our study found intense distrust of child welfare authorities among this population.
Many caregivers struggle to meet the needs of children born to incarcerated mothers. They worry about the health of these babies, especially those who experienced harsh prison and jail conditions in utero alongside their mothers. The caregivers also have their own challenges: In our study, over one-third lived in poverty. Many lived with chronic health problems. Most were grandparents.
Yet here they were, caring for a newborn — an intense job demanding sleepless nights and round-the-clock care.
In theory, the provisions in the new bipartisan bill could help caregivers meet those babies’ needs. Yet we found that caregivers in our study were reluctant to involve child welfare services in any way, even to seek help, for fear of losing custody.
Often, these caregivers were even afraid to talk to our research teams. We had to make sure they knew that we wouldn’t report them for issues such as lack of food in the household, the water being shut off or eviction — all problems that could fit the legal definition of neglect. If we didn’t reassure families, they would never tell us their struggles, and we couldn’t help them.
The solution is to expand the broader social safety net. We urge the many members of Congress who care about this issue to strengthen programs that help families before the child welfare system gets involved.
Lawmakers should expand social support systems such as WIC (a nutrition program for pregnant women and young children), SNAP (food benefits for low-income families), and TANF (financial assistance for needy families). It’s also essential to make the application for these benefits simpler.
State governments have an important role to play, too. Twenty-one states' child welfare policies don’t differentiate between neglect due to poverty and deliberate neglect. This leaves parents and caregivers worried that if they disclose food insecurity or problems paying rent, their children might be taken away. These laws should change to encourage families to seek help when they need it.
Only by targeting support before child welfare gets involved can we truly strengthen families and protect children, especially children of incarcerated mothers.
Bethany Kotlar is the founder of the nonprofit Motherhood Beyond Bars and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Vanessa Garrett is the program director of Motherhood Beyond Bars.
Date: |
Topics
-
Tech - Wired
Algorithms Policed Welfare Systems For Years. Now They're Under Fire for Bias
Human rights groups have launched a new legal challenge against the use of algorithms to detect error and fraud in France's welfare system, amid claims that single mothers are disproportionately ...Yesterday -
Top stories - ABC News
Man arrested after dog found tied to post ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall
The dog was found up to its chest in flood waters off Interstate 75 in Tampa on Oct. 9, as many residents were evacuating due to Milton.Yesterday -
Lifestyle - The New York Times
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Returns. It Shouldn’t.
Despite the wings, the supermodels and Cher, there’s no going back.23 hours ago -
Top stories - BBC News
Zoo faces animal welfare and bullying allegations
Managers deny "each and every allegation" by former staff, who hand the BBC images of injured animals.Yesterday -
Sports - ESPN
Spain omit Bonmatí amid player welfare concerns
Spain coach Montse Tomé has said Aitana Bonmatí's surprise omission from the latest La Roja squad is because the Barcelona midfielder needs a break.1 hour ago - Spain -
Business - Inc.
Once Incarcerated, Now This Man Connects Students to Clean Energy Careers
Clean energy careers are on the rise, and one expert is showing students the way to find them,3 days ago -
Top stories - BBC News
Child's death treated as suspicious, three arrested
The death happened in Windmill Court in Dungannon, County Tyrone, on Sunday 13 October.3 days ago -
Top stories - BBC News
Families 'left in lurch' on child autism diagnoses
Support services are failing to meet high demand, says the Children's Commissioner for England.2 days ago -
Top stories - CBS News
Mother of slain Israeli hostage says her faith in people has diminished
As the conflict in the Middle East rages on, the parents of 23-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin are speaking out for the first time since their son's death. Goldberg-Polin was wounded ...2 days ago - Israel
More from The Hill
-
Politics - The Hill
Weight loss drugs may help reduce drug and alcohol misuse: Research
Weight loss medications such as Ozempic may be able to cut drug and alcohol misuse in half, according to a new study from the scientific journal Addiction. The research, published Thursday, found ...49 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
It’s localization, not globalization, for the health of the US economy
The U.S. is undergoing a transformative shift away from globalization and toward localization, with initiatives such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act prioritizing ...52 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Harris and Trump's paths to victory
Welcome to The Hill's Campaign newsletter {beacon} Campaign Report Campaign Report The Big Story Here are Harris and Trump’s clearest paths to victory The Electoral College system requires that ...1 hour ago - Donald Trump -
Politics - The Hill
Harris champions a vital mission: More Black male teachers in our schools
In 2012, I began my teaching career as a Black male educator at Greenwood High School through the Teach for America program. At the time, more than 6 percent of the country’s teachers were Black ...1 hour ago -
Politics - The Hill
Watch live: Walz, Bill Clinton rally voters in North Carolina as early voting begins
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential hopeful, and former President Clinton are campaigning Thursday in North Carolina as early voting kicks off in the Tar Heel State. Clinton ...1 hour ago