On August 7, 2024, State Parent Defender Wendy Sotolongo gave testimony to the North Carolina Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She provided seven specific recommendations to the committee through a lens of having spent more than 35 years practicing abuse, neglect and dependency (A/N/D) law in North Carolina. She said outright that child safety is non-negotiable, but most of the children in the system are there because of neglect, not abuse. And she asked the question: “What if those families labeled neglectful were offered the support and resources they needed instead of an investigation.” What if we took care of families’ needs so they could be well and avoid the trauma of investigations and separation altogether?
Full article here: https://www.ncids.org/2024/state-parent-defender-weighs-in-with-panel-for-2025-report-to-the-u-s-commission-on-civil-rights/