The Price of Parenting While Poor

For many parents living in poverty, the shame and powerlessness that come along with struggling to provide basic necessities for their kids are intensified by the reality that being poor increases their families’ risk of facing allegations of neglect.

In this issue, parents share stories about the stress and consequences of parenting while poor and question the system’s failure to address underlying causes of neglect. One mother relives the saga of losing her daughter after becoming homeless, a devoted dad details how his financial instability cost him his family. Child welfare professionals challenge the punitive actions taken against poor parents and identify changes that would stabilize families without separating them.

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