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conference on children established a federal focus on children and created the Children's Bureau. There were a few principles that were derived from the conference. They are family life paramount; children should not be removed from families due to poverty; prevention is essential and underscores the importance of having suitable placements for children who cannot remain at home. The issues warranted to be addressed at the 1909 conference have made some progress; however, we as a nation still need to make substantial advancement in the areas mentioned above. Families are being torn apart and entering the system due to neglect and often poverty related. Neglect certainly needs to be unpacked as, in some instances, it represents exposure to domestic violence and drug addiction correlated with poverty. These types of issues, for example, may need other types of supports outside of addressing poverty alone. Even with these types of issues, present child removal as a primary intervention does not need to occur as frequently when other supports such as transportation, childcare, meeting basic needs, and in-home services could assist in keeping families together.
In Washington state, children are removed from their homes only to be housed in hotels, department offices, or group living facilities. 1 Indeed, we need progress and change for our families who are at risk of child welfare exposure. With all the growth in the United States over the last 100 years, much has advanced in a whole host of areas known to man however the treatment of families and the care of our children in child welfare is slow. As a country, we have reverted to a family- unfriendly policy and continue to fall short in prioritizing families so they can grow and succeed together. When looking at the demographics of child welfare, it remains primarily Black and Indigenous children who overflow the child ______________ 1 Ingalls, Chris. “No Bed, No Blanket: Social Workers Blow Whistle on Washington Forcing Foster Youth to Sleep in Cars, Offices as Punishment.” King5.com , 2021, www.king5.com/article/news/investigations/ no-bed-no-blanket-social-workers-blow-whistle-on- state-forcing-foster-youth-to-sleep-in-cars-offices- as-punishment/281-ae353838-1cf0-48bb-991e-17- 9e70cc20cb#.~.text=A%20four-month%20KING%20 5%20investigation%20found%20a%20years-long
FIJ Quarterly | Summer 2022 | 71
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