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This week I chose to look at the impact of court on children. I found interest in this topic due to the fact that my parents went through a divorce when I was a little girl. They were always arguing about going to court and fighting for custody... eventually they did and the court ruled that I be split between the two on weekends and weekdays. i was probably 10 when this all started and I felt miserable about the situation. I wanted to runaway because I couldn't stand the fact that someone else was dictating my living arrangements. It was an awful feeling to put my happiness in the hands of someone who didn't know my family like I did. Having the court involved created more of a burden on our lives. Eventually, my parents worked things out and were able to arrange certain dates for me to see each of them. Social workers and therapists tend to play a major role in these types of transitions. My parents used a social worker to help me get through the divorce, however I was not very receptive. I never have t go to the courthouse with my parents, which I am thankful for. Its hard enough watching the people you love most fight over another human being, but to add complete strangers into the mix can make for a whole different world.
"Older children have more difficulty with the experience than their younger counterparts.." What would be the defining age of this? I feel as though I was more rebellious because of my age.. I knew what I wanted and I did not want to be fought over.
I chose this photo because it displays the differences between some parents. Are parents always fighting for the right things, the child's interest or are they making selfish choices?
http://islandlawyers.com/child-support-in-hawaii/
J Crosson-Tower, C. 2014. Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect 9th Ed. Pearson Education, Inc.

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One interesting aspect of the reading this week that caught my attention was the definitive blurry line of what constitutes children's rights in the legal system, often dependent on a state's interpretation, and how that plays out in various cases.  I came across an interesting article that discussed the faulty nature of the family court system in dealing with child custody disputes, particularly when one parent is also a victim of domestic abuse.  Throughout the article,  I was surprised at how little the child's specific developmental needs were taken into account in determining placement...it seemed to very much contradict the idea that a child's physical and emotional well-being is a top priority in family court.  It also provided a link to a news story about a custody battle between two parents of a 10-month old, after the judge had ordered the exclusively breastfeeding mother to cease in order to facilitate overnight visits with the father.  Given the immense importance of early attachment, I would definitely argue that the child's immediate needs, and their rights to have those needs met, were dismissed in that case- given a bit more consideration and flexible planning, a beneficial arrangement to meet the needs of mother, father and child could have been attainable.  Joyanna Silberg, Vice-President of the Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence, stated the importance of members of the family court system developing a "shared moral obligation that prioritizes a child's well-being" versus regarding them as a piece of property.  Despite the complexity of this system, I agree that the child's emotional and physical needs should ultimately set the framework for the court's proceedings.
-Hannah Cyr

www.phillyvoice.com/live-abuser-american-family-courts-fail-children/

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What stuck out to me this week was the impact of court on children. I feel like when we often think of someone having to testify in court as traumatic. It is reliving the experience, talking about it in front of a room full of people and sharing very personal and sad things. For children who have to testify I can only imagine they feel those anxieties ten fold as they don't quite understand the situation as well as an adult. As the book states, it is rare that a child actually has to testify, but in those cases, especially if it is against a parent that was an abuser, I can't see how that wouldn't be traumatic. but Lipovsky did a study and says the children aren't "unduly traumatized". As I was reading and thinking about it, I guess this experience could give the child a voice. Give them the opportunity to speak on behalf of themselves.

Ashley S.

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Although in our book it says media is prohibited from juvinile court, they sometimes get ahold of the information and report about it anyway. I feel as though media should be banned from all cases about abuse & neglect, especially cases about sexual abuse. I say this because my younger cousin went through this, and the media (although she was a minor) reported on it. I dont find that it gives either side a fair trial, and honestly going through a trial process at any age is a stressful thing let alone being a kid and going through it; really telling someone is stressful enough for anyone. The feelings that especially the child will be going through while in a court case, shame, embarrassment sadness, all for something that was not their faul. The media does not need to be in that at all and make things worse.
Danielle Geddes

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Lauren Furey

There were a few key points that caught my attention this week, it was learning about the attorney who has to represent the child in a child abuse and neglect case. The attorney that is assigned to the case is often working with very little or no information especially if the child is young It must be hard to come to a decision, of whether the child is going to be more at risk staying at their home, or being in placement. The child must understand the impact of the implications for staying in the home. The lawyers representing the children sometimes have to change their roles; functioning in the advisory role, they are responsible for their clients understanding of what will happen in the court room. By helping them by giving them a tour of the courtroom so that they are not intimidated when the child is present in court. And then sometimes the lawyers don’t feel comfortable, being the only representatives for the children. But few lawyers are trained to deal with child welfare responsibilities in how the how the representation is carried out. Courts will appoint trained volunteers to protect the child's interests (Crosson-Tower, 2014)

I have come to the conclusion, that the younger the child the more at risk you are for being abused and neglected. I wonder how difficult it is for a lawyer to assume this position, keeping the child's best interest in mind. It’s important to have courts appoint guardian ad litem protect children's interests in courts. That will insure the best protection of the child, this helps the lawyer focus on their part, making sure the child is safe.

Work cited:
Crosson-Tower, C. (2014). Understanding child abuse and neglect (9th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.
https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/courts/attorney/attorney-children/

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“How traumatized are children going to court?” “Children do testify in court, which is not as frequent as one might imagine, they are in fact not unduly traumatized. Older children have more difficulty with the experience than younger counterparts, and children who are exposed to lengthy court battles may show more negative effects.” Lipovsky suggests several interventions that court and social workers should keep in mind.

-Education in an effective tool to decrease children’s anxiety

-Stress management procedures, such as teaching deep breathing, muscle relaxation and focusing

-Improving parental attitudes about court was another method of providing support to children.

Older children, whom studies show are more traumatized by court experiences, are often overlooked with the assumption that because they are older they can take care of themselves.

(Page 263, Cynthia Crosson-Tower)

I personally do not think children should be brought into the court system. For an example, while the parents are going through a divorce, the child should not be involved, because the stress is out on the child and the child then feels it has to side with one parent or the other. Children should not be brought into the court system at such a young age.
Katelyn Donovan

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One key point that caught my attention in this weeks content is the impact the court has on the child. The photo I chose of a child sitting alone in a courtroom clutching her bear represents the confusion of where she belongs in the world, along with her purpose of life. The courtroom can be a very scary place for some children especially when they have been in an unstable environment.   Children who have been abused have endured enough trauma, they don’t need any more stress from sitting through a court hearing with their parents as they argue weather or not the child will return home with them, or be left to live with strangers. Fortunately for most children they do not have to sit through the court hearing.

The text states “older children have more difficulty with the experience than their younger counterparts”.  You may think it might be the opposite, older children have probably endured the abuse for a longer period of time, and better understand what is going on in the court room. Not knowing where your next home will be or if you will return back to the abusive home you were taken from can cause stress and anxiety. Under some circumstance where a child must attend a court hearing the child is often educated on what to expect and go through stress management to minimize the amount of stress they may experience.

J Crosson-Tower, C. 2014. Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect 9th Ed. Pearson Education, Inc.

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Chapter 11 has been a difficult chapter. Years ago, I applied for emergency full custody of my son when he was an infant. NOBODY within the legal system offered me any assistance and some even told me I was wasting my time. Being a single dad of an infant was unheard of! My son’s mother had multiple issues including neglect - all documented yet there really wasn’t much concern?!? A Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) was appointed who did less than nothing to ensure the safety of my son. Our book reads “the attorney’s feelings about child representation can greatly affect their manner of dealing with their clients” (Crosson-Tower, 20104). The GAL visited my home with her entire family sitting outside in her BMW beeping the horn. Unprofessional and uncaring was her nature and she basically informed me that a man cannot effectively raise a child. Additionally, I had to deal with DSS on 4 occasions due to my son’s mothers issues and neglect. The first 3 times I was treated rudely, with disrespect and indifference – even threatened. The last time it took her flipping her car drunk for DSS to realize that she MAY NOT be fit to be a mother. She eventually had more kids with other men and faded away from my son’s life.

18 Years ago, I applied for emergency full custody of my son when he was less than 5 months old – somehow it was granted and I endured the nightmare of the Massachusetts legal system for the next 5 years. It was an awful and biased system that favored the mother, regardless of her issues, but somehow, I was lucky or more importantly I saved my son! The courts, the attorneys, the family advocates, the GAL, the law enforcement community and DSS all failed my son but I refused to! “Court action can create a strain for the participants, it does provide a useful mechanism through which society can protect abused and neglected children” (Crosson-Tower, 20104) – I agree with the first part and strongly disagree with the second part.

I alone raised a healthy, motivated and hardworking young man. He’s a high school graduate, a fantastic athlete and a good man that all parents would be proud and honored to call their son. Presently he is serving his country as a US Army Paratrooper!

-Gary Bent

Crosson-Tower, C. (20104). Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect (9th ed). New Jersey: Pearson.

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When choosing whether or not to keep a child in a home there is a lot that goes into it. Once a child is removed from the home if there is no family that can take them they go to foster care. This in itself can be very traumatizing to a child who has already been through so much. This can lead to termination of a parents rights which is an even harder decision to make and one that does not get decided lightly. "The termination of parental rights is not an arbitrary decision but rather is based on specific conduct or inaction.(Crosson-Tower,255)." Most states have a timeline window for how long a child is in foster care before the rights are terminated. It is giving parents a chance to change and earn their children back. Some statistics on our home state of NH are that in 2011 there was a total of 804 licensed foster homes. The average time a child spent in foster care was 14.9 from data in 2009. The rate of children reuniting with their families in the year 2009 was 51.3% so just over a half. The reason I choose this is because if I work in the field of DCYF I need to have a well rounded understanding of what removal of a child from a home truly means and how to support the family before termination.
-Sarah Chickering
Crosson-Tower,C.2014.Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Pearson Education.
www.rowancountync.gov

http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dcyf/adoption/index.htm. Facts about Children in Foster Care in NH. April 2011.

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The media is allowed to cover cases of criminal context and could take a huge risk in the outcome of how the public will react.  Child abuse cases are handled with the media not present due the the nature and the protection of the child.  Our reading states "criminal hearings however, may be opened to public scrutiny.  Involvement in child abuse and neglect, the effect on children of not only the legal proceedings but the attendant coverage."
Media coverage should be allowed in both type of cases but with extreme sensitivity.

Crosson-Tower,C.2014.Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Pearson Education.

Pamela Reid

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The key point I took away from this weeks learning of the legal response is the impact it has on the children, especially if they have to go to court. Children who have gone through abuse have experienced a lot of detrimental things in their life and having to go through the legal process is another one to add to the list. Our book talks about how the older children are the ones who suffer the most from having to go to court and the experiences that last a long time make a negative impact. The legal responses that last a while put the child at risk for additional trauma as they may be removed from their home during that time or still suffering from abuse. Our book also talked about ways to minimize the trauma of the legal response for children such as trying to “education, stress management, role plays, improving parental attitudes, improving maternal support, and keeping in mind the individual characteristics of each child.” (Crosson-Tower, p.263) I also found an article online about an adult who was sexually abused and in child pornography as an child. She had to go through years of court for the man to get arrested and wrote about she is trying to get $1 million to pay for her counseling, lost wages, extra education and evidence gathering. She wants restitution for all the times her pornographic images come up in court, which have been over 200 cases so far. She wants to have a voice for what has been done to her and what is still being done by the court. The article doesn’t have very much information but I think it is interesting to see years later that the victims are still suffering, especially from the legal aspect of it.
-Arianna Harris
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/nyregion/pornography-victim-makes-voice-heard-in-queens-case.html
Crosson-Tower, C. (2014). Understanding child abuse and neglect (9th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.

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One key point that captured my attention this week was learning about the attorney who has the represent the child in a child abuse and neglect case. The attorney that must work with the child often works with little or no information or feedback, especially if the child is very young (Crosson-Tower, 2014). The attorney is also faced with a tough decision; the decision of whether the child is going to be more at risk staying at their home or being put into placement, and they must understand the impact of the implications for staying in the home (Crosson-Tower, 2014). Lawyers representing children sometimes have to modify their roles; functioning in an advisory role, acquainting their clients with what will happen in the court or even giving them a tour of the courtroom to minimize intimidation when the child must be present (Crosson-Tower, 2014). There are also instances where lawyers did not feel comfortable being the sole representatives of children; few lawyers were trained for child welfare responsibilities and there was little to no consistency in how the how the representation was carried out, so some courts will appoint trained volunteers to protect the child's interests (Crosson-Tower, 2014). This topic resonated with me because throughout this semester, I have continuously learned that the younger you are, the more at risk you are for being abused and/or neglected, but I never thought about how these young children would be or could be represented in court. It must be extremely difficult for a lawyer to assume this position and try to keep the child's best interest in mind when the child may not even be able to verbalize how they feel. I think it's great that some courts appoint specially trained volunteers to protect children's interests in courts such as CASA (Crosson-Tower, 2014). This insures the best possible representation and protection of the child and doesn't force a lawyer into a situation he or she is not equipped for.

The link below is to a website that provides more information about representing children in child abuse and neglect cases and also provides some example cases.

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/courts/attorney/attorney-children/

Crosson-Tower, C. (2014). Understanding child abuse and neglect (9th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.

Delaney C.

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By: Tanya M. Delisle

One thing that I found of interest this week is the roles that social workers may have to play when it comes to court hearings. According to Crosson-Tower (2014), social workers may have to play several roles when it comes to child abuse and neglect in the legal system.

At times, social workers that made the original reports often have to attend court hearings to testify. Some social workers may have been assigned to either the children or the family separately. The same social worker could then be required to offer support or relevant information to their clients during the hearing.

When social workers have to choose between sides after they have been working with a family it can make things very difficult for the worker. I think that this information is important to know for anyone considering the field. There is stress when working in this area and one should be capable of working under stressful situations. This work can cause burnout and professionals should gain education and experience in how to handle these experiences as it is a lot to handle.  I think that social work can be underestimated when it comes to compensation.

Photo retrieved from: http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwj574vllbTSAhXIOiYKHQgkA88QjxwIAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquotesgram.com%2Fsocial-worker-quotes%2F&psig=AFQjCNHFiOVHCN6lZ5grdR-If2LxA_gL_A&ust=1488418641618256&cad=rjt

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The impact of court on children is a scary moment they must face. This experience after everything they have gone through is unpleasant.  Our text suggests that “several interventions that courts and social workers should keep in mind are,

1.education as it can be an effective tool to decrease children’s anxiety,

2. understanding the court process stress management procedures (i.e. deep breathing).

3. Finally, role play which helps the children practice the techniques. (Liposvsky,1994)
Nikki F.

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During this weeks readings that part that stuck out most to me was the section in the book on sex offender registration. I never really knew before how that came about. In 1994 a 7 year old girl named Megan was raped and murdered by a twice-convicted sex offender. The offenders name was Jesse Timmendequas and he was living near Megan's home and was rooming with two other previously convicted offenders. After Megan's death, her mother waged a campaign for community notification. In result of the campaign, President Bill Clinton signed federal legislation that became known as Megan's Law. "Megan's Law enables the public to learn whether a convicted sex offender is living in the neighborhood" (Crosson-Tower, p. 264). There has been controversy over the constitutionality of Megan's Law. Some states have suspended registration for varying amounts of time because of that. Some say that Megan's Law gives a false sense of security and that people are only on the lookout for those who have been convicted they miss protecting their children from the offender that has not come to the attention of the legal system. The book also states that, "a recent New Jersey study disputed the efficacy of offender registration, reporting that Megan's Law had no effect on reducing the number of victims or offenses" (Crosson-Tower, p. 264). In my opinion it's hard if not impossible to tell if Megan's Law is effective or not with reducing the number of victims or offenses. In order to know that for sure you would need to have a world where Megan's Law never existed to compare to the amount of victims where Megan's Law exists. I think that Megan's Law is important to have.

Alana Brien

Crosson-Tower, C. (1987). Child abuse and neglect. Washington, D.C.: NEA Professional Library, National Education Association.https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcccvoice.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F03%2FScreen-Shot-2012-03-24-at-5.04.08-PM.png&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcccvoice.org%2Fmegans-law%2F&docid=fJ9ntFKDqHDg2M&tbnid=uaJ6406jPwWz5M%3A&vet=1&w=388&h=266&hl=en&bih=892&biw=1659&q=Megan%27s%20Law&ved=0ahUKEwiL64qFzLPSAhUM4oMKHYmgAvMQMwgyKAEwAQ&iact=mrc&uact=8#h=266&imgrc=uaJ6406jPwWz5M:&vet=1&w=388

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This week when I was reading what stuck out for me were two very different things.  The first thing was that Child Protective Services is designed to help children who's abuse occurs within the family/caregiver and not for abuse that does not involve family.  I guess I just assumed that CPS were always involved when it came to protecting children.  As I continued to think about it, I could see situations when the police were called to investigate abuse that occurred outside of the family and was handled differently.  I automatically assumed that CPS was involved.  The second thing that I found interesting and made me really think twice about was that there are not many (if at all) advocates for parents. CPS is for the child first and includes family and their ultimate role is to keep the family together. However having an advocate for the parents might make a difference. Parents may feel that they have support and guidance for them, which may enable them to let down their guard and and allow for assistance, services and healing. This is not to say in anyway that to advocate for the parents would condone any maltreatment they may have done, but to help them come to some type of terms with what is going on and to see what resources they may need. Below is a link that is a great resource to have. I found an article on Children Benefit When Parents Have Safe, Nurturing, Relationships which supports the need we have in today's society to help each other and to use each other as a resource.  It doesn't make us weak it makes us strong.

Shari Doyon
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/

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Megan’s Law – A law put in place after 7 year old Megan Kanka was sexually abused and murdered by a convicted sex offender. Megan’s law allows sex offender registries to be easily accessed by the public. This stuck out to me because I have young children that play outside in our neighborhood and I like to know who is around me. We’ve also been looking to buy a house and I do not want to move into a neighborhood that has a high population of sex offenders. A comment from the text by a police officer makes a good point about the dangers of the sex offender registry “Convicted felons are not the only offenders. When the public is on the lookout for only those who were previously caught, they miss protecting their children from the offender who has never come to the attention of the legal system (pg 264. Crosson-Tower, 2014).” This is an excellent point that I think should be repeated more often. Just because someone hasn’t been caught, doesn’t mean they aren’t a threat. I definitely think the sex offender registry is a necessary and useful tool. I would not leave alcohol around a known struggling alcoholic just as I would not leaving children around a convicted sex offender, the temptation may be too overwhelming and it’s never a risk that anyone should take. I attached a video of Andrew Vachss, who is a crime fiction author, talking about how the sex offender registry can be danger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDuBWWvu3ZU

Crosson-Tower, C. (20104). Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect (9th ed). New Jersey: Pearson.

Orianna Grillo

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Please let me know if the padlet is working! I look forward to seeing the board come to life! 

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Please let me know if the padlet is working! I look forward to seeing the board come to life! 

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Nicole