'The problem is poverty': Florida removing more kids from poor families over alleged 'neglect'

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://news.yahoo.com/problem-poverty-florida-removing-more-090503317.html

Families like Clark’s are increasingly in the crosshairs of a child welfare agency that shifted its focus eight years ago from family preservation to protecting kids at all costs.

The move, sparked by news headlines about children who died when DCF left them in abusive homes, was supposed to rescue more kids from abuse. Instead, it triggered a flurry of removals for reasons that the department classifies as neglect but experts say are often just symptoms of poverty.

Neglect is a catch-all category that includes allegations of insufficient food, clothing, care or shelter, in addition to domestic violence. Along with inadequate housing, these allegations factored into 50% of removals in 2020 – up from 25% before the policy change in 2014, USA TODAY’s analysis of federal data found. The surge is the highest in the nation during that period.

(snip)

Even as Florida’s poverty rate has declined, removals citing neglect or inadequate housing have doubled. Meanwhile, fewer than 1 in 5 removals are because of physical or sexual abuse – a rate that has remained flat for more than a decade.

[70sEraVet]

1. You mean they're not removing rich kids to protect them from 'Affluenza'?

Forgive the joke. I really think its unforgivable the way the poor are punished, and are expected to accept that they deserve the punishment.

[OLDMDDEM]

2. I think

if neglect is corrected in Florida by removal of children from their homes, shouldn't neglect by the governor and his cronies be corrected by removal from office?

[SWBTATTReg]

3. And this problem will only grow worse, as housing prices continue to spiral upwards, and more

on-the-bare-edge families find themselves at risk. Especially in FL, CA, other such high price environments.

I expect that a lot of families, etc., have been under pressure all across the US, as government agencies (city, state, and Federal) struggle to try and keep up w/ the spiraling housing costs, to help keep people in their homes, apartments, etc., and provide the homeless a place to live also. It's getting almost impossible.

[shrike3]

5. Oh, definitely.

And there are a good many Americans out there who don't want to help the poorest among us.

[shrike3]

4. I remember the series (mentioned in the story) of kids who died while left in their parents' care.

The common denominator amongst the parents was addiction. The subject of this story is a recovering addict.

I hate to say this, but DeSantis is the governor. More than likely it was a top down decision.

[SWBTATTReg]

6. And unfortunately, in this Country, having an addiction and then getting a cure for it, is almost

impossible, being covered by insurance is a little better, but not much, and states, w/ their recovery programs are basically lacking, if even available, since they usually refer to volunteer organizations, etc.

[shrike3]

7. Exactly. The umbrella story for the stories made it clear that treatment was often not available

too expensive, not offered, what have you.

And also little follow-up.