What’s Measured Gets Attention.
Things attended to can be made better
Things ignored fall apart.
No perceived problem, no need for a fix.
Most violent and serious crime is committed by juveniles & young adults.
MN’s former Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz stated that “90% of the youth in Juvenile Justice have passed through Child Protective Services” and,
“The difference between that poor child and felon, is about eight years”.
Most youth in the Juvenile Justice System have diagnosable mental health issues. Over half of them have multiple/serious diagnoses and are prescribed psychotropic medications. These at risk youth have grown up with trauma and behavior problems that stick to them for a lifetime if the community ignores their needs.
These are the youth committing violent crimes and tried as adults that make up the 83% (9 year) recidivism rate in our prison system today.
Chief Justice Blatz has identified the problem.
By focussing on outcomes achieved by children passing through our Courts and Child Protection system we can better address the issues that are holding these children back. How many fostered children attend school regularly, get good grades, need help with depression and other mental health issues. How many received the help they needed?
What is the quality of life for a child in a group home? If we knew more, we could make improvements. Not knowing is a community failure and hurts the child.
As a long time CASA GAL, and concerned citizen, I’ve seen the costs of failing a child and the impact the child has on his/her community. No one wins.
Today, the Guardian ad Litem program and much of Child Protective Services metrics focus on phone calls made, staff and other expenses and not “about” the progress or lack of progress of the child in care.
We can make institutional performance look efficient if phone calls were made and expenses are in order.
To solve for safe communities, carjackings and 83% and 90% recidivism rates, we need to track the successes and failures of children in State care if we are to stress the programs and policies that work and improve or end the unworkable strategies that are in place today.
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Advocate for at risk children
All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children
KARA reports on the issues of child abuse.
This article submitted by CASA volunteer Mike Tikkanen
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