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The next step in child welfare is investigating and intervening. Our current foster care system operates on worker mobility, human contact and the frequent movement of children <ref>{{Cite web|title=How Does the Foster System Work in the USA?|url=https://adoption.org/foster-system-work-usa|website=Adoption.org|language=en|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref>. However, with that movement grinding to a halt after the lockdown, caseworkers are limited in their ability to monitor and investigate potential cases of abuse <ref>{{Cite web|title=Social Service Workers Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19|url=http://www.socialserviceworkforce.org/resources/blog/social-service-workers-mitigating-impact-covid-19|last=Brown|first=Nicole|date=2020-05-07|website=Global Social Service Workforce Alliance|language=en|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref>. |
The next step in child welfare is investigating and intervening. Our current foster care system operates on worker mobility, human contact and the frequent movement of children <ref>{{Cite web|title=How Does the Foster System Work in the USA?|url=https://adoption.org/foster-system-work-usa|website=Adoption.org|language=en|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref>. However, with that movement grinding to a halt after the lockdown, caseworkers are limited in their ability to monitor and investigate potential cases of abuse <ref>{{Cite web|title=Social Service Workers Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19|url=http://www.socialserviceworkforce.org/resources/blog/social-service-workers-mitigating-impact-covid-19|last=Brown|first=Nicole|date=2020-05-07|website=Global Social Service Workforce Alliance|language=en|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref>. |
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The US Children’s Bureau evaluated alternatives to caseworker inspections, while many state and local governments began limiting or canceling abuse allegation investigations <ref>{{Cite web|title=Pandemic sparks concerns about child abuse in Maine|url=https://www.pressherald.com/2020/04/05/pandemic-sparks-concerns-about-child-abuse-in-maine/|last=Writer|first=Penelope OvertonStaff|date=2020-04-05|website=Press Herald|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref>. One of the most extreme was Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services suspending all caseworker home |
The US Children’s Bureau evaluated alternatives to caseworker inspections, while many state and local governments began limiting or canceling abuse allegation investigations <ref>{{Cite web|title=Pandemic sparks concerns about child abuse in Maine|url=https://www.pressherald.com/2020/04/05/pandemic-sparks-concerns-about-child-abuse-in-maine/|last=Writer|first=Penelope OvertonStaff|date=2020-04-05|website=Press Herald|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref>. One of the most extreme measures was Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services suspending all caseworker home visits<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pandemic sparks concerns about child abuse in Maine|url=https://www.pressherald.com/2020/04/05/pandemic-sparks-concerns-about-child-abuse-in-maine/|last=Writer|first=Penelope OvertonStaff|date=2020-04-05|website=Press Herald|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref>; many agencies and social workers were worried about contracting or transmitting the virus and as a result they conducted investigations from the front doors of homes or over video chats <ref>{{Cite web|title=What COVID-19 means for America’s child welfare system|url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/what-covid-19-means-for-americas-child-welfare-system/|last=Haskins|first=Morgan Welch and Ron|date=2020-04-30|website=Brookings|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref>. |
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=== Impacts on Housing and Visitation === |
=== Impacts on Housing and Visitation === |
Under normal circumstances, the American Child Welfare System is considered by experts to be underfunded [1] and strains social workers with high case loads [2]. However, during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, the United States experienced an unprecedented lockdown [3] and national unemployment reached a record high [4]. This presents the current issue because, it’s well recorded that during times of economic stress, child abuse skyrockets [5].
A prime example of this occurred in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, whose already witnessed a major uptick in abuse rates. Six children, all under the age of 4, were physically abused, as reported by Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. Doctors believe all of these cases were driven by coronavirus related stress [6]. In the age of COVID-19, where families were locked inside their homes, human contact was limited, and courts closed, the United States witnessed an aggressive upsurge in child abuse rates as a result of several systematic flaws.
Identifying and reporting child maltreatment is the first step to all child welfare systems [7]. It’s how the child’s mistreatment comes to the attention of authorities and, from there, action is taken. One of the biggest mechanisms the system has traditionally relied on has been mandatory reporters, such as teachers, law enforcement, and health care professionals. A child’s regular contact with their community has been relied on for individuals to be able to identify and report abuse. Upon the national quarantine, less cases began to be reported. An illustration of this may be seen in the US Midwest. Illinois’ abuse hotline receives about 950 calls a day, approximately 6,650 a week. After Governor Pritzker closed schools, that number dropped by 45% within the week [8].
These problems stemming from closures is not limited to America. In England, Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, estimated that over 2.3 million minors in England are currently high-risk for abuse and unable to access social services as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak [9].
Outside of the child welfare system, another crucial element that contributes to offsetting child neglect is that schools continue to be some of the only places many youth receive mental-health help, physical activity, nourishment and clean water [10]. More than six million students across 11,000 American schools are the primary provider of critical services and, until now, relied on schools for those resources [10].
The next step in child welfare is investigating and intervening. Our current foster care system operates on worker mobility, human contact and the frequent movement of children [11]. However, with that movement grinding to a halt after the lockdown, caseworkers are limited in their ability to monitor and investigate potential cases of abuse [12].
The US Children’s Bureau evaluated alternatives to caseworker inspections, while many state and local governments began limiting or canceling abuse allegation investigations [13]. One of the most extreme measures was Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services suspending all caseworker home visits[14]; many agencies and social workers were worried about contracting or transmitting the virus and as a result they conducted investigations from the front doors of homes or over video chats [15].
Another element of this is the housing of children already in foster care. Because many foster parents and facilities are typically ran by older individuals, major cities around the world witnessed a serious contraction in available foster housing [16]. Visiting family during these times of separation has always been recognized as important for both the parent(s) and the child. However, similar to home inspections, separated families transitioned to virtual visitation [17]
One of the final steps in a child welfare case is courts establishing a long-term solvency plan. This could be a variety of solutions from reunification to the revocation of custody, all dependant on the individualized case. However, because of the long-term impacts of this final step, experts worried of the legal backlog that piled. Children currently in foster care and any children taken under lockdown, because of alleged abuse or neglect, now wait for a trial.
The problem with this is legal institutions across the world are closing their doors because of COVID-19 and many are pushing trial and meeting dates back indefinitely [18]. A prime example of this is Los Angeles County, one of the largest counties in the United States, suspended all non-essential work, including family courts [19].
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