Haven of last resort
Thirty-five children have been abandoned under the Nebraska safe haven law, an intended consequence of a poorly worded piece of legislation.
When lawmakers in Nebraska composed the law, they wanted to provide an anonymous way for parents to leave unwanted infants at hospitals. The parents simply had to say “safe haven” to avoid prosecution for abandonment; the infants would be safely left with health care workers and enter the child protection system for adoption. Many states have this safe haven legislation. It helps prevent poorly equipped parents from leaving babies in stairwells and dumpsters.
As difficult as it is to understand how a parent could leave their baby at a hospital and relinquish their parental responsibilities, it is almost impossible to imagine that parents of school-aged childrens and teens could do the same thing. Several parents have done just that; one father left 9 children, aged 1 to 17, at a hospital in Omaha. Social workers describe children begging their parents to stay. Certainly these kids know what is happening to them when they are left there.
Apparently, the root cause of this epidemic is two-fold. First, Nebraska lawmakers neglected to specify an age limit for the safe haven law. Second, parents are citing behavior and mental health issues as reasons for leaving their children at the hospitals. They are claiming that they love their children but simply cannot cope with them any longer.
In Ontario, a family that needs help coping with difficult children has several avenues, one of which is the local Children’s Aid Society (CAS). According to the parent organization, the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, the mission of a CAS is to ensure the protection of a child and promote the well-being of a child within its family and community. Contrary to popular belief, CAS does not exist to take children away from parents; it exists to help parents learn to be better at what they do and support their children.
It’s hard to imagine a situation in which a parent has exhausted resources like the local CAS, a family counselling service like KW Family Counseling, parenting classes, mental health services, school resources, and the help of family and friends. Is driving to Nebraska really a parent’s last resort?
For the sake of the children left behind, destined to spend time navigating the protection system, I hope not.
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