10-22-2000

I have been reviewing the "The status of Children in Oregon's Child Protection System- 1999" put out by the "State Office for Services to Children and Families" (available in PDF from the SOSCF Website).

Quote: "In 1999, SCF received 34,675 reports of child abuse and neglect, an increase of 10.2 percent over 1998". SOUNDS TERRIBLE, doesn't it? Pay attention- these are the REPORTS- people calling in "suspected abuse".

Quote: "There were 11,241 child abuse/neglect victims in 1999, a 10.8 percent increase from the previous year". Then on page 5 of this same report they say: "There were 8,073 founded child abuse/neglect reports in 1999, up 8.2 percent from 7,461 in 1998". Maybe they mean some founded cases involve more than one child in the home, or maybe the figures don't add up too well. Using the 8,073 number of FOUNDED reports, the Oregon SCF is running at 77% FALSE REPORTS versus the NATIONAL AVERAGE of 89% FALSE REPORTS. Or possibly, Oregon is fabricating reasons to "found" twice as many cases from the "resource pool" than the national average.

Quote: "Incidents of threat of harm rose 22 percent. Neglect rose 6.0 percent. Mental injury and physical abuse rose slightly, while sexual abuse dropped 8.0 percent". Obviously, the sexual abusers have "gotten the message". Or maybe it was just a less popular accusation to make last year. Threat of Harm, what is that? Quote from page 2: "Threatened harm to a child, which means subjecting a child to substantial risk of harm to the child's health and welfare". Vague? Open to subjective interpretation by a social worker to build a case where none exists and IMPOSSIBLE to refute? Why else would this category be the new "winner"?

My mind is screaming: "Are all these parents living in a vacuum? With the wide-spread knowledge that 'SCF might do something bad and serious' to a parent if they mishandle their children in any way, how are they getting sucked into the system?"

Is there a huge group of minority people whose "parenting skills" are so deficient? Are they so hopelessly ignorant? Are they all leaving their babies alone while they go out to "drug parties" and then beating the tar out of them when they get back?

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS SINCE 1974, 34,675, or 12,000 or 8,000 PARENTS IN OREGON DIDN'T KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THE SCF WAS IN 1999?

What's up with that?

If there are this number EVERY YEAR, and increasing, there might be a real problem here. If these REALLY ARE abuseful/neglectful parents, it BEHOOVES THE STATE OF OREGON to do some PROACTIVE EDUCATION!

• Where's the "feel good" TV ads telling parents what they CAN and CANNOT DO and warnings of WHAT WILL HAPPEN if they "mess up"?

• Is anything being taught in the schools (other than "How to turn your parents in and MAKE IT STICK if they tick you off")?

• Where's the "safe community volunteers"? Right now, if you go to a parenting class of ANY KIND, you are dealing with "mandated reporters". Sure don't want to ask any "wrong questions" there, do you?

What's with the SCF coming into a family situation and stomping the living daylights out of parents when they don't know what the EXPECTATIONS ARE? Until somebody gets the trip through the "meat grinder", they HAVE NO IDEA how picky, demanding, finicky, and UNREASONABLE the SCF's expectations are.

They have taken the words "safe" and "safety" and "BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD" to the nth degree and worn it out. But as long as judges buy their corny stories, the garbage will continue.

Jeez, have any of you guys gotten the "intensive family counseling" from SCF? They treat you like slime oozing out of a garbage truck. They are almost always childless New-Agers and all they know is "Time Out" and "Chair Sitting". Run a real scenario by them- just try it. They are mystified for an answer. While the SCF has these "expectations" of your parenting, they NEVER, EVER tell you WHAT THEY WANT or EXPECT. I guess you are supposed to figure it out by "osmosis". But the word osmosis conveys the meaning that something is to be absorbed from another source. The New Age "teachers" have nothing to "soak up".

I often refer to George Orwell's "1984" to illustrate the confusion of trying to "figure out what they want" while you are being tortured and REQUIRED TO CHANGE SOME UNSPECIFIED SOMETHING to their satisfaction.

Something is wrong here, and I don't think it is with parents. I think it mostly has to do with being a "resource" for state participation in the Federal "Funding Stream".