Tanya McLeod knows what it’s like to be the victim of false and malicious child abuse reports. Soon after her husband went to jail forbreaking an order of protection, child welfare workers showed up at her door. Over a three-month period, more than five detectives and child welfare workers came to her house, as early as 7 a.m. and late into the night. She was sure it was her husband who’d made the … Read More
Search Results for: they will not win
Out of Our League- We placed our son in the system to get him the treatment he needs.
January 12, 2013 by
When I was 10 years old, my mentally ill mother walked out on me and my four siblings. As I got older, I discovered that I had a unique gift:identification. Because I had suffered abandonment and childhood unrest, I found that I was able to identify with the insecurities of emotionally wounded children.
My husband grew up in a stable, close-knit family. His family set the example of how things should be while … Read More
A Risky Bet- Placing teens in foster care can do more harm than good.
January 08, 2013 by
When parents are at their wit’s end, they sometimes think child welfare can do a better job controlling their teens than they can. Priti Kataria,director of the ACT Project (Adolescents Confronting Transition) for older youth at Lawyers For Children, cautions parents against voluntarily placing teens in foster care:
Sometimes parents decide to seek help from child welfare when they have seen their teen’s situation get worse and worse. The child is … Read More
Looking for a Mother Who Won’t Leave- My birth mom and my adoptive mom both gave up on me.
January 08, 2013 by
I was 2 years old when I got adopted, and 7 when my biological mom stopped visiting me with no explanation. Even though those changeshappened when I was so young, I think they’ve affected me to this day.
For years I wanted to find my biological mother. I used to cry just thinking of her at night. I missed her so much. As I got older, I wanted to live with her and be … Read More
Parents, Advocates, Allies- Our teens need us to be voices for change.
January 08, 2013 by
On Dec. 22, I saw my neighbor’s son being stopped and frisked by the police. In New York City, police stop and frisk hundreds of thousands of young men of color in poor communities. Of the 686,000 stop-and-frisks last year, 84 percent were of blacks and Latinos. I have five sons, and my sons have been stopped and frisked so many times.
That December day, I asked the police, “What’s going on? … Read More