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A CHILD ADVOCATE'S DUAL PERSPECTIVE
by David Lujan
In my dual roles as the staff attorney for Defenders of Children and as a state legislator, I see first-hand how Arizona’s economic crisis and the budget cuts being made at the State Capitol create a greater need for non-profit agencies like Defenders and the services we provide at a time when the agencies are also struggling with their own budget and funding challenges.
The services that Defenders provides in getting children out of abusive situations are particularly important at a time when Child Protective Services (CPS) and law enforcement are having to layoff the very people whose job it is to keep our children safe, and are eliminating programs proven to reduce family violence. In addition, by serving as a form of a safety-net for those potential child victim in danger of “falling through the cracks” of the protection system, Defenders is uniquely positioned to prevent child abuse in a way that no legislation or policy can.
What I mean by that is that …. in the vast majority of cases, CPS, law enforcement and the courts keep children safe from abuse, and thus the general public doesn’t hear about the hundreds of success stories that occur every day in protecting children. Unfortunately, often the only news the public hears are the instances when something goes horribly wrong and a child dies in a situation where the system designed to protect him or her has failed.
In response, the legislature and other policy makers then attempt to respond by calling for comprehensive reforms. Sometimes these new policies are effective; other times they might be a knee-jerk attempt to “force” a CPS caseworker or a court official to be more diligent in protecting children. However, regardless of how strong or effective a new law or policy is, there are going to be children’s abuse cases that are not given the attention they deserve by those in a position to stop the abuse. Instead, what is needed is a place for people to call when they believe a child is in trouble but the protection system is not working, for whatever reason. That is precisely what Defenders of Children does.
Defenders has the ability to bring those cases that have fallen through the cracks back onto the radar screen of the protection system, beginning with our social service workers’ rigorous reading of the child’s case history, and possibly culminating with our enlisting the services of one of our dedicated volunteer attorneys to provide pro bono legal representation in a juvenile or family court matter, or by working, when appropriate, with children’s best interest attorneys or other court-appointed professionals on behalf of the child. Defenders ensures that evidence of abuse gets into the proper hands.
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