Most of us have heard of the sex offender registry, but how many people are aware of the central registry of child abusers? In a March 28th article published in the Dallas Morning News, the article "Abusers or Abused?" sheds light on this issue through the story of a young man ("Sam") who has been both the victim and perpetrator of child abuse.
According to the article, over "…36,000 children ages 10 to 18 have been listed in the registry since the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services began keeping it in the mid-1990s." Under what conditions is this information collected? According to the Texas DFPS website, "…the child protective services central registry consists only of information gathered during investigations of child abuse and neglect in cases which were given a disposition of "reason to believe" and the person had a role of designated perpetrator or sustained perpetrator." (http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/handbooks/CPS/Files/CPS_pg_1600.jsp) Once you are in the registry, you are barred from certain types of employment including: day care, foster care, adoption agencies, and certain volunteer groups that serve children. Additionally, there are negative consequences for the adoptive parents of children who are in the registry. Sam's adoptive father was unable to adopt additional children because of Sam's inclusion on this list.
Sam had been in the foster care system since age five, was molested by his mother, and beaten by his father. At the age of ten he became a child abuser himself while under the state's care. The article implies that the determination of one's inclusion in the registry is based on the discretion of a single caseworker (who is likely overworked and underpaid). But the key point is this: individuals are notified of the "abuse findings," but are not informed that they are placed on the child abuser registry. The accused person can request a review and cases are held in the registry for five to 99 years (depending on the specifics of the case).
The primary policy concern for the child abuse registry in this legislative session is due process. Representative Zerwas filed House Bill 1194 which would provide "procedural protections for individuals reported to have committed abuse or neglect." (Look up the bill here: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/) These protections include giving the accused: written notice that the report will be added to the registry, a copy of the report that will be in the registry, and the opportunity to appeal the department's finding.
At the end of the article, Sam's father asserts that his son has received counseling and has "grown into a happy, healthy teenager." When evaluating this issue and potential policy improvements, one must consider the big picture and the end goal. To what extent does the current system protect the general public from "child abusers"? I find the inclusion of individuals like Sam on the registry to be a questionable solution to the problem of child abuse. Furthermore, the underlying assumption of including such young perpetrators of abuse in the registry is that once a person has committed an act of child abuse, he/she is always an abuser (and a potential danger to society). Finally, preventing quality parents from adopting additional children once he/she has chosen to adopt a former child abuser is an issue that warrants further investigation. Child welfare policy should empower a community to give each individual child a chance at a fulfilling, healthy life-- even if the child has experienced or committed acts of abuse.
Rebecca Lengnick-Hall
MSSW & MPA Candidate
University of Texas at Austin
3/29/11
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