Besides a zillion places for the proposed change of name to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), any hearing which could lead to a “do not revive” or “pull the plug” order with regard to a child in the custody of the state would become an open, public hearing. I think that part is a good change.
However, in 68 pages, there is a “lot of stuff”. I will be doing a series of posts. For now, I am asking you to download the .pdf and read through it – and comment on whether you think hearings concerning the removal of children from parents should be open and public, or uniformly closed.
It is my opinion that the current closed hearing system has lead to bias, sloppyness, and delay – and has not protected children.
Please share widely!
It's a partnership between us and our government — folks like AmberPaw who are committed to improving the public structures that manage the care and protection of children at risk of being physically or emotionally abused. We should all pay attention to Amberpaw's offer to help us understand how we can support any positive changes proposed by the Administration, the Speaker and especially AmberPaw herself.