Speaking out on detained children
Over the last few weeks, our country has been gripped by images of crying children ripped from the arms of their parents. The knowledge of how such trauma affects the brain development of very young children has driven the Children’s Services Council of Broward County to speak out. Our mission is to provide the leadership, advocacy and resources needed to help children grow into responsible, productive adults. As such, we cannot sit on the sidelines as we see children subjected to these brutal actions.
Recently the acronym ACEs has been widely used in connection with what is happening to these children. ACEs are Adverse Childhood Experiences. Twenty years of research by Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified a clear correlation between ACEs and an increased risk of social and emotional impairment, and the adoption of health risk behaviors such as substance abuse and alcoholism, poor physical and behavioral health and reduced life expectancy. The trauma being inflicted today can have lifelong consequences. Therefore, the following steps must be taken immediately to try ameliorate as much as possible the damage that has already been done. Make reunification a priority. Allow access to the children by trauma-trained professionals and the media.
Ensure all facilities holding children meet the same federal standards for health, safety and trauma-informed care expected of any foster care facility.
Make sure that those caring for the children are using trauma-informed care.
Limit the number of moves the children must make.
Workers must be allowed to comfort crying children.
No one should rest until these children are reunited with their families and given the support the United States now owes them. America is better than these current actions have indicated. Let’s reclaim our moral standing and show who we really are.
Broward County Mayor Beam Furr is chairman of and Cindy Arenberg Seltzer is president of the Children’s Services Council of Broward County