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Melissa Hackett is the coordinator of the Maine Child Welfare Action Network.
Whenever a child dies, there is rightful public outcry. This is particularly the case when a child dies related to a parent or caregiver’s abuse or neglect. Tragically in Maine, there have been multiple child deaths in the headlines over the course of the past few years. It is a call to action, and the way we respond to these tragedies is critical to achieving the outcomes we all want — for children and youth to be safe and healthy, living in nurturing homes with their families.
While the details about the recent tragedy in Bangor are still emerging, we know from early reports that the family was isolated from the community. It is essential that concerned community members recognize their role in supporting child safety.
We must all care much sooner and better about the conditions in which children, youth and families are struggling. In many conversations with parents and caregivers in Maine, we have heard repeatedly that they do not feel supported in their communities. Where is this village everyone told us about when we were going to have a child? Parents and caregivers feel alone, and often judged, as they do the universally challenging job of raising a child.
These are our neighbors. It is time to look to ourselves and ask what more we could do to be part of raising the next generation. What opportunities are there to volunteer your time to help children and caregivers in your community? What would it look like to reach out to that family down the street you’ve never talked to but worry about? Building connections and social support helps children and parents feel less alone and reduces family stress. It increases protective factors for children, youth and caregivers who may be living in unsafe situations. And it builds the kind of communities we all want to live in.
Decades of research tell us how to prevent child abuse and neglect: increase economic supports to families, reduce stigma for parents seeking help, expand early care and education, and enhance community services to improve safety and stability.
Supporting families includes investing in ways to alleviate cumulative stress on families that can lead to crisis and child safety concerns. Our state public systems must offer parents and caregivers the financial resources to meet their families’ basic needs for income, food, housing and transportation; have access to affordable child care so they can work; and have health insurance and access to care.
For families who are already experiencing significant challenges related to unmanageable substance use disorder, unmet mental health needs and domestic abuse and violence, it is essential that the full spectrum of services to address those challenges are available across the state. Public funding is needed to improve access and availability; this is something you can urge your legislators to support taking action on now and sustaining into the future.
There is no one simple solution to eliminate child abuse and neglect. But there are actions we can support that would address the issue comprehensively — to reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect, to support families experiencing challenges, and to effectively intervene when children and youth are unsafe. There are policies and investments legislators can support right now that align with these goals. And there is much more we can do as individuals to reach out to families and build communities where children and caregivers feel they have people, spaces and services they can connect with when they need help. This is how we will demonstrate our care and concern for children and youth, and how we will create the kind of culture and state where all families can find safety and stability.
