What I Can Do: Protecting At‑Risk Children in My Community

America’s child protection systems are supposed to keep children safe from abuse and neglect but investigative reporting from across the country shows how often they fail. Children are left in dangerous homes, reports are screened out, and cases are closed too quickly, sometimes ending in serious injury or child fatalities that could have been prevented. At‑risk children cannot protect themselves. They depend on adults: family, neighbors, teachers, faith communities, and voters to see what’s happening and act.

Below is a short overview and concrete “what I can do” options you can use in your own community.

Child Protection: What It Really Means

News investigations and research reports have documented how child protection systems often expose children to continued abuse and neglect instead of shielding them from harm. Cases are under‑resourced, workers carry too many files, and decisions are made under political and budget pressures rather than based solely on children’s safety and long‑term well‑being.

In Minnesota, one investigative report on child fatalities from maltreatment (2014–2022) shows that children have died even after agencies were warned multiple times about danger. Sharing this kind of evidence with your elected officials matters, because they control the laws, budgets, and oversight that shape child protection practice.

Behind the statistics are real children: kids living with untreated trauma; kids caught in cycles of poverty, addiction, and violence; kids who age out of foster care without healing or support. When we say “all adults are the protectors of all children,” we are naming a moral truth and a civic responsibility.

What I Can Do: Practical Ways to Help At‑Risk Children

You don’t have to work in child protection to make a difference. Here are specific actions you can take:

1. Share credible investigations with your elected officials (FIND THEM HERE)

Download and read KARA’s reporting (sign up for weekly updates here) on child abuse and search for information about your state (on our site and request a deep dive from KARA). Then:

• Email or mail it to your state representative and state senator with a short note about why you care and what you want them to address (screening decisions, caseloads, foster care safety, etc.).
• Use official “find your representative” tools (state legislature sites or House.gov) to make sure you’re reaching the right people.
• Follow up at least once or twice a year, especially during budget and legislative sessions.

2. Raise awareness through your own networks

• Share links to strong reporting, research, and short videos about child protection failures on your social media accounts.
• Talk about child abuse, trauma, and healing in your faith community, workplace, school, or neighborhood groups.
• Use plain language: “We have kids in our state who are dying or being seriously harmed after the system is warned. We need better laws, funding, and accountability.”

3. Learn more and invite speakers

• Read or listen to free resources like the INVISIBLE CHILDREN book to understand how trauma and child protection systems interact.
• Invite speakers who focus on child abuse, trauma, and community solutions to your school, college, workplace, or event.
• Use these events to connect people who care and to spark practical local projects (support groups, advocacy teams, resource drives).

4. Stay informed and connected

• Sign up for regular newsletters from organizations that focus on child abuse, childhood trauma, and child protection.
• Follow ongoing projects like data‑driven series on America’s children, charts that make the numbers visible, and updates on policy changes.
• Share key articles with colleagues, friends, and local leaders so they don’t miss what’s happening.

5. Support child‑focused nonprofits

• If you’re able, make tax‑deductible donations to organizations that investigate, report on, and respond to child protection failures.
• Even small recurring gifts help keep topic‑specific journalism and advocacy alive, especially when mainstream outlets are stretched thin.
• Ask how your donation supports concrete work: data analysis, reporting, community education, or direct support for children and families.

6. Consider direct volunteer roles

• Explore volunteering as a CASA / Guardian ad Litem or in other child advocacy roles in your local courts and communities.
• These volunteers spend time with children and families, learn the full story, and speak up in court for children’s best interests.
• If you’re curious, contact your local CASA program or child advocacy center and ask about information sessions and training.

7. Be the adult who speaks up

Most of all, be willing to act when you see or hear something concerning.

• If you suspect abuse or neglect, learn your state’s reporting procedures and use them.
• If you see patterns of failure cases ignored, children repeatedly harmed talk to journalists, advocates, and lawmakers.
• Remember: silence protects systems, not children.

Here’s a short list of roles available to volunteers in most communities:

• CASA / Guardian ad Litem volunteer
  Start here to find a local program:

  • National CASA/GAL Association – https://nationalcasagal.org

• Mentor with a youth mentoring program

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of America – https://www.bbbs.org

  • Search “youth mentoring [your city]” or check your local United Way – https://www.unitedway.org

• Volunteer at a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC)

  • National Children’s Alliance (CAC network) – https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org

• Homework help / tutoring for children and teens

  • Local public library (many run tutoring programs; search your city + “public library”)

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of America – https://www.bgca.org

• Mentor youth in foster care or residential programs

  • FosterClub (youth voice and programs) – https://www.fosterclub.com

  • Search “foster youth mentoring [your state]” or check your state’s child welfare agency site.

• Support early childhood programs (Head Start, preschool, child care)

  • Office of Head Start – https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs

  • Local Head Start provider (search “[your county] Head Start”)

• Volunteer with school‑based support teams

  • Your local school district’s website (look for “family engagement,” “PTO/PTA,” or “volunteers”)

  • National PTA – https://www.pta.org

• Serve with youth mental health or crisis support (where volunteers are accepted)

  • Crisis Text Line – https://www.crisistextline.org (some volunteer roles)

  • Your local community mental health center (search “[your county] mental health center volunteers”)

• Help at shelters or family resource centers

  • Local Salvation Army – https://www.salvationarmyusa.org

  • YWCA (many locations serve families and children) – https://www.ywca.org

• Coach youth sports or help with arts programs

  • YMCA of the USA – https://www.ymca.org

  • Local parks and recreation department (search “[your city] parks and recreation youth sports”)

• Support literacy programs for children

  • Reach Out and Read – https://www.reachoutandread.org

  • Local library children’s services (search “[your city] library children’s programs”)

• Volunteer with organizations serving immigrant and refugee children

  • Catholic Charities USA – https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org

  • International Rescue Committee (in cities where IRC operates) – https://www.rescue.org

• Help at a community youth center or after‑school program

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of America – https://www.bgca.org

  • Search “[your city] youth center” or “[your city] after‑school program volunteer.”

• Serve with parenting and family support groups

  • Parent support organizations like Parents Anonymous – https://parentsanonymous.org

  • Your local family resource center (search “[your county] family resource center”).

• Organize or support local drives and fundraisers for child‑focused organizations

  • Local United Way – https://www.unitedway.org

  • Use platforms like VolunteerMatch to find child‑focused nonprofits near you – https://www.volunteermatch.org

At‑risk children in your community may never know your name. But they will feel the effects of what you choose to do—or not do—right now.

KARA’s writing and other programs are mostly free because of our large volunteer force but there is a cost.

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KARA / KIDS AT RISK / INVISIBLE CHILDREN

this article by CASA volunteer Mike Tikkanen