What’s it like to be a first grade teacher frightened by an out of control little boy who kicks, punches or stabs classmates with pencils? Is the principal trauma informed? Are their teams of trauma informed teachers or sufficient mental health resources that can lessen the chances of expelling a seven or nine year old from the school?
KARA gathers news about abused abused children in America and around the world to provide a snapshot of Child Protection and how states and nations value their children.
Kids At Risk Action needs an aspiring writer/research to help gather and report on these stories.
If you are an aspiring writer/researcher with an urge to speak for your communities abused and neglected children,
Contact [email protected] with REPORTING in the subject line.
All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children
Minnesota’s abused and neglected children need our voices. Share this with your networks;
Recently some legislators and child protection agencies began theorizing that an underlying cause of caseload increases is screening families into the system not because of maltreatment, but as a way to get them scarce social services.
Statistically, this seems unlikely.
According to the Department of Human Services, last year counties screened in 45% of 84,000 maltreatment reports. Since the screen-in rate for states nationally is 60%, this suggests that nearly 12,000 Minnesota children are still being inappropriately denied child protection help.
A sobering story of her life-mate Tom at 78 years old still living with the pain of trauma and abuse inflicted upon him as a child and how the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) based programs are working to heal today’s suffering children.
I believe that the challenge addressed in this document has to do with ACES and other escalating problems in our society. Please let me know your thoughts.
Hector,
Sadly, the combination of American “bootstrap” culture, harsh individual freedom driven capitalism and defining success as “more money/winning at any cost” are denigrating social sciences/human services and anything else that gets in the way (including “science”).
Our institutions are paying a terrible price demonstrated by the cost of and underperformance in quality of life indices across the board (public health, public education, public safety).
This nation no longer leads the world in the things that make for a safe and livable society. We lead in teen STDs & pregnancies, prison populations, recidivism & incarcerated juveniles, poverty and in most financially rewarding areas of endeavor.
Add to that, the concurrent explosion of trauma related mental health problems (ACES) facing institutions service providers; educators, social and health workers, law enforcement, court and detention personnel are finding their level of training severely inadequate, jobs much more stressful and dangerous with a lack of success across most institutional venues.
The level of violence in hospitals, care & detention centers, foster homes and schools is high and growing and our reliance on Prozac like drugs in managing these problems bodes ill for any long term solutions (without treatment these problems grow exponentially)
Generational child abuse and trauma is the most misunderstood and powerful social disease present in this nation today and there are few signs of its abatement.
KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
Human trafficking is rapidly growing crime across Tennessee
In Tennessee alone, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 110 cases were reported in 2017. Those are the ones we know about.
Man accused of trafficking teens for sex in North Texas arrested by feds
A Texas man known as “Iceberg” was arrested for allegedly engaging in child sex trafficking, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in …
Ex-senator may get life in prison for child sex trafficking
ABC News
A former Republican state senator in Oklahoma was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Monday on a child sex trafficking charge. U.S. District …
Former Oklahoma senator convicted of child sex trafficking sentenced to 15 years in prison – kfor.com
Former Oklahoma senator sentenced to prison for child sex trafficking – NewsOK.com
It is good to know that someone is advocating for raped and trafficked children.
If not for the research, reporting and press about priests molesting children, there would not be much attention or understanding of the trauma suffered by sexually abused children or their numbers.
It’s not clear how many children have been abused by priests in the U.S. these past 20 years, but a reasonable guess might be 50,000 to 100,000.
Using the higher total of 100,000 children abused over 20 years by priests means that about 5000 children a year have been molested annually.
Statistically, this number is a tiny fraction of the sexual violence & trafficking done to American children in their own homes by family members and caregivers each year.
Between 63,000 & 400,000 of the 7.4 million children reported abused in America each year have suffered sexual violence. Of the 50 children I helped remove from toxic homes as a volunteer CASA guardian ad Litem, about half of them had suffered sexual violence. One as young as two, several that were four and the rest under ten when their abuse started.
The U.S. rates badly among industrialized nations in how we treat and value children. America is the only nation in the world to not sign the International Rights of the Child Treaty.
Today’s post by Safe Passage for Children of MN shows how badly our state compares to the rest of the nation in protecting at risk children.
“What we do to our children they will do to society”.
This statement is as true today as it was 2000 years ago when Pliny the Elder made it.
All Adults Are the Protector of All Children
The miserable politics of rape at the highest level in our government are playing out today. Once more, sexual violence is in the spotlight as America’s second recent Supreme Court nominee (Kavanaugh) is being questioned about horrid behaviors of a sexual nature.
This topic has few friends. It remains under the surface until someone makes a painful accusation and the community accepts or rejects the accuser.
Our attention lately has been on the tens of million and hundreds of million dollar verdicts awarded to victims of church sanctioned child abuse (3 billion to date).
Treating mental health issues in children is far more effective than letting the problems grow into adulthood, where the evidence clearly indicates a continued social failure and institutional dependence (whether prison, hospital, or state sponsored programs) for people denied help in their youth.
Articles, facts and statistics about U.S. child abuse deaths and suicides for August & September 2018
Child and teen death rate by race and ethnicity
Kids Count Data Center
Definitions: Deaths to children between ages 1 and 19, from all causes, per 100,000 children in this age range by race and ethnicity. The data are …
Project need – Volunteer Coordinator (please share this)
Estimated 2-3 hours each week working with our executive director to find and manage volunteers for Kids At Risk Action projects.
37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.
(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)
6 to 12 million children a year are reported to child protection services and in many states,
About 1/3 of foster children are required to take psychotropic medicines
Today’s Miguel Otarola’s Star Tribune attention on the additional 43 million dollars needed to fund these programs should be put into perspective.
One of my CASA guardian ad litem caseload children cost the State and County about 3 million dollars by the time he aged out of foster care – not including the teacher he beat up, student he stabbed and terrible things he did to the 29 foster families he lived with. He contracted AIDS as a teen and will always be a State Ward and high cost to the County. This child will likely end up being a 5 to 10 million dollar tax burden just because
ALL ADULTS ARE THE PROTECTORS OF ALL CHILDREN
The Epidemic of Child Sex Abuse in America
Dr Felliti Explains the Effects of Sex Abuse on a Child (NPR Interview)
1 in 3 girls, and 1 in 6 boys will be abused before their eighteenth birthday…
*Kendrea Johnson was 6 when she suicided by hanging, Gabriel Myer was 7 (both were foster children).
*Only 1 out of 150 suicide attempts by very young children are successful (suicide is hard for a 6 year old to understand and execute).
*99% of those children only succeed in hurting themselves and cementing the feelings of failure and self-hate – none of these children make it into the newspaper or onto nightly news.
No one knows about the 149 children who tried to kill themselves or the hundreds/thousands of foster children that deliberately hurt themselves and others
Losing 1475 migrant children as a political statement was an awful example of what America is becoming know for internationally.
Letting Migrant Kids Rot in shabby poorly run centers for months or years stinks of racism & an administration without a conscious.
Boarder agents threatening children with adoption and Drugging them just adds a vile and criminal element to the equation. If these children die will there be consequences?
September 25th 4 to 5pm – Chapel
Dayton Av Presbyterian Church
217 Mackubin Street Saint Paul, MN 55102
How childhood trauma evolves into chronic illness, dangerous lifestyle & early death and shadows children into adulthood impacting schools, public safety, public health and quality of life in the community.
What we need to know & need to do to interrupt abuse, heal children and fix our community
Not just anyone can manage adoption or fostering of children that have been tortured by their caregivers*.
Years of child protection work have proven to me that gay couples are not only wonderful parent choices for abandoned children, but that they may be the very best choice.
As outcasts themselves, the GLBT community knows what frightened and alone means to a child and can relate to fear and anxiety of being different in a harsh environment.
Abused children carry their traumas with them and have mental health issues and behaviors that are often uncontrollable, violent and dangerous to themselves and others.
It takes special people to raise traumatized children.
So when the Church or the State refuse gay couples the right to adopt it eliminates an already inadequate pool of foster/adoption families and leaves abandoned children even more alone and frightened at a time they most need a loving home and family. This is a special kind of cruelty and deserves to be outed. Share this widely.
I should know. I was the chairman of the board of directors for Catholic Charities of Boston.
I feel compelled to set the record straight and let voters in Maine, who might not remember what actually happened, know the truth.
Like many of my fellow Catholics, I believe our greatest commandment is to help those who are in need and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That call is why I joined the board of directors of Catholic Charities of Boston.
I was especially proud of our work facilitating the adoption of abandoned and neglected children.
Catholic Charities used the one and only criteria that’s appropriate for adoption agencies — the best interest of the child.
Few of us understand the lifelong impact trauma has on a child and fewer still the depth and scope of generational child abuse in America today. This KARA page provides basic information and the critical elements that you & your friends and neighbors need to know for trauma & abuse to be reduced in your own community. Share it widely.
All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children
Send us your favorite resources (we will post those that fit)
hundreds of allegations of missing children and child sex trafficking
6 to 12 million children a year are reported to child protection services and in many states,
About 1/3 of foster children are required to take psychotropic medicines
There are currently 100’s of abused children in Minnesota’s child protection system without a voice (they need a guardian ad litem voice to be heard in court)
KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
This reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse is never known.
37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.
(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)
This important survey of Minnesota’s candidates for Governor shed’s light on what’s in store for children after the election.
Notice that only one of these candidates did not respond to the Safe Passage Survey. This same candidate (and Governor) years ago told KARA board member David Strand and State Legislator Andy Dawkins that “Children that are the victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the problem of the State of Minnesota”.
Read the Governor Candidates Responses Here
Share this widely to insure children get a voice in the next election.
37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.
(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)
6 to 12 million children a year are reported to child protection services and in many states,
About 1/3 of foster children are required to take psychotropic medicines
ALL ADULTS ARE THE PROTECTORS OF ALL CHILDREN
KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
This reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse is never known.
37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.
(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)
CLASS CERTIFIED IN MISSOURI PSYCH MEDS LAWSUIT
August 1, 2018
In an historic ruling, United States District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey has granted class certification to all Missouri foster children “who presently are, or in the future will be, prescribed or administered one or more psychotropic medications while in state care.” The ruling in M.B. …
KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
This reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse is never known.
37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.
(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)
New domestic violence law will help victims
Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission welcomed the final reading of the Domestic Violence Victims Protection Bill which will come into force early next year.
Compelling stories and perspectives about child abuse & trauma and how your community treats at risk children and families. Share this – nothing changes until more people understand the impact of abuse on children and the impact of abused children on our communities
Part 1: Child Trauma – What We All Need to Know. Mike Tikkanen rejoins the program to share his decades of experience with the child welfare system. While there are many great people working within the system, it is broken
Group home caters to LGBT foster children
Cronkite News
Redmond said she wanted to provide a real home for LGBT foster children and her group home was immediately at capacity. They usually go on …
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Adopted children ‘barely surviving’ in high-pressure schools
The Guardian
Adopted children who have suffered traumatic early experiences are “barely surviving” in the current high-pressure school environment and need …
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If you knew that being raped at five years old destroys normal brain development and not just a child’s brain & life but the adult he or she becomes, would you make a greater effort to end child rape in your community?
If you knew that half of the children in your community’s child protection system had been raped would you be more likely to support affordable daycare, crisis nurseries and other child safety net programs?
Successful suicides by very young children are rare, but what is not rare is their self loathing, self harm and attempts at suicide. When seven year old Gabriel Myer hung himself in Florida he left a note that could have been written by an adult about how he hated being forced to take Prozac.
Decades of policy makers not understanding or ignoring mental health issues and failing to see the explosive growth of veterans returning with life destroying PTSD, the huge increase of children in child protection resulting from less help for young families suffering from generational child abuse & trauma is coming down hard on schools, law enforcement and health providers. All our institutions and communities are paying the price.
Sue Abderholden (Sunday Star Tribune) is far too kind to legislators and administrators who make the policies impacting young families and other people needing help in our communities.
Lawmakers saving small dollars by not supporting basic services (crisis nurseries, daycare or mental health services) are costing taxpayers decades of state ward status, crime and preteen pregnancies for people that could have been helped, could have become self-sufficient tax paying community members.
Community summit to address childhood trauma
WCTV
(WCTV) — According to Child Protective Services nearly 700,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect in 2016. Experts say those traumatic experiences can leave a lasting impact. The Tallahassee community is now looking to help raise awareness about childhood trauma. It’s one of the many child …
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Stemming the tide of childhood trauma
Anchorage Daily News
As one of the doctors who led the first adverse childhood experiences study says, “What is predictable is preventable.” We can prevent children from experiencing ACEs and we can support the children and adults who have experienced them so that their trauma does not have to lead to negative …
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Bravo Safe Passage for your out front efforts to finding out what Minnesota’s Governor candidates know about children’s issues and thank you for getting this information to help voters make better choices. SAFE PASSAGE SURVEY RESPONSES.
Speak for a child in child protection as a CASA guardian ad litem (children need to be heard)
2 Nodaway County men charged with child molestation, sexual abuse
Maryville Daily Forum
NODAWAY COUNTY, Mo. — Two Nodaway County men were charged on May 18 with several counts of felony child molestation and sexual abuse in …
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Creep accused of sexually abusing 5-year-old girl may have more victims, cops ask public to help …
New York Daily News
Investigators fear he may have molested other children. They released a photo of him Wednesday and asked the public’s help finding additional …
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Fairfield father charged with lewd acts in addition to child abuse involving his 10 children
KTVU San Francisco
FAIRFIELD, Calif. (BCN) – The Solano County District Attorney’s Office today charged a Fairfield father of 10 children with four counts of committing a …
Father of abused Fairfield children now charged with lewd acts – KGO-TV
More Charges Added Against Father In Fairfield Child Abuse Case – CBS Sacramento
Jailed Fairfield couple face new charges of child molestation – TheReporter.Com
Full Coverage
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Long time CASA volunteer guardian ad Litem, Fonder of Kids at Risk Action (KARA)Founding board member of CASA MN & Friends of Children (now CASA Cares), author (1000 articles Star Tribune & the book INVISIBLE CHILDREN, national speaker (including United Nations & Women Prison Warden’s conference), CASA volunteer Hennepin County guardian ad-Litem, founding board member of CASAMN, CASA CARES), and Kids At Risk Action.
Mike advocates for abused and neglected children making the rest of us see the profound impact the crisis of childhood trauma is having on our schools, public health, public safety and neighborhoods.
Poor public perception & misguided policies, lack of institutional transparency, awareness and accountability are compounding serious failures in our child protection systems that directly impact each and every one of us in many ways.
By generating conversation around the issue and exposing facts that have for too long been left unspoken, Tikkanen brings attention to ACES, (adverse childhood experiences) and solutions that reverse trends of generational child abuse to make our communities safer and happier places.
4 people arraigned in child’s death investigation, charged with gross abuse of a corpse in Defiance …
WTOL.com
A body of a new born infant left un-cared for 17 months in Defiance County has resulted in four people from the same family being charged.
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Mother, boyfriend face Felony Murder charges in child’s death
KWCH
Wichita Police say the death of two-year-old Anthony Bunn was due to abuse. His mother and her boyfriend are in jail, each facing Felony Murder and …
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Des Moines man pleads guilty to beating baby boy, causing skull fractures, brain bleed
DesMoinesRegister.com
An 18-year-old Des Moines man pleaded guilty Friday to charges he beat his child, sending the baby boy to the hospital with two skull fractures and a …
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Why domestic abuse and anti-gay violence qualify as persecution in asylum law
The Conversation US
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently upended decades of U.S. legal precedent by asserting that women fleeing domestic violence will not generally …
SC: South Carolina, Under Lawsuit Settlement and Needing 1,500 Foster Homes, Could Become 20th State To Create Ombudsmans’ Office (Commentary)
Chronicle of Social Change – April 30, 2018
South Carolina is set to become the 20th state to establish an autonomous office to hold its child welfare agency accountable.
NH parents of child who died arrested on drug charges
Boston 25 News
Following the child’s death, police executed a search warrant at 473 Hevey St. and said they found 28.1 grams of heroin, 11.8 grams of cocaine, 15.3 …
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Day care provider enters guilty plea in baby death case
MLive.com
MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – A day care provider has pleaded guilty to child neglect in a case involving the death of a toddler in her care at the hands of …
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It is upsetting that the only significant authoritative voice speaking to the horrific practice of criminalizing mental illness is Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.
Stanek’s Star Tribune article today paints the ugly picture of mentally ill patients not charged with any crime, locked up in a tiny, isolated, empty cell for 23 hours a day for months at a time because there is no other place for them.
HCMC downtown is seeing 800 to 1000 emergency psych visits/month, MN hospitals are turning away mental health patients and a very large percentage of people in the juvenile and criminal justice system suffer from diagnosable mental health problems.
Iowa sees spike in confirmed child abuse cases
Seattle Times
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say publicity around high-profile child abuse cases in Iowa has caused a surge in such reports. Confirmed child …
Iowa sees spike in confirmed child abuse cases – WRAL.com
City’s toughest neighborhoods also plagued with high instances of child abuse
WBAL Baltimore
Some of the city’s toughest communities, those plagued by crime and drugs, are also notorious for another adverse distinction: having a high number …