Providing resources to help people become better parents is a good policy.

Another child protection case I'm working on got dismissed today after the parents did a lot of work to improve their situation. Sometimes these cases are so awful, but a lot of the times the court intervention was exactly what was needed to inspire parents to stop neglecting/abusing their kids.

I'm working on an article on parents rights v. children's rights and the rising "anti-CPS" sentiment. Some of the anti-CPS arguments are rooted in the premise that foster care is more harmful than the family abuse/neglect. When that is the reality for kids, that is horribly wrong - and I wholeheartedly agree there MUST be protections to ensure foster parents are not abusers. It is gut wrenching to know how many predators over the generations have taken in vulnerable children with the intention of harming them. Disgusting and criminal and should be eliminated. Absolutely. Other facets of the anti-CPS arguments are founded in freedom-from-government in general; that parents can do whatever they want with THEIR children. That's the one that's most interesting to me. Where do the rights of the child and the rights of the parents intersect, and how does the government get to play a role in regulating that? I also find some of the proponents to be pretty disingenuous because the people who are the loudest in the "MY RIGHTS!" category absolutely LOVE regulating the lives of other adults who don't follow their religious rules.

I know in my experience, the child protection system has helped so many people. Child abuse used to only be frowned upon, but not illegal. While the child protection system is flawed, overall I think it is good and needed - providing resources to adults to get the help they need to become better parents is a good policy.