child welfare and capitalism are incompatible.

living under a system that prioritizes capital over people means that profits are also put before child welfare. this is reflected by the u.s.’ racist child protective services system, which removes black & brown children at alarming rates when compared with white children.

cws case workers rate black families at much higher risk than white families, especially when the parents are low income. native children have been at increased risk of family separation since the 1950s, even after the passage of the indian child welfare act.

i work at a substance use treatment center. all of my clients are low income (on medi-cal), & 85% are either black or latina. at any given time, at least 65% of the clients we serve are referred by child welfare services, & of that 65%, the majority have gotten their kids removed

if a cws report is filed on you as a mother, and you test positive for drugs, you will get your children removed from your care. especially if you’re poor/ low income, and especially if you’re poor and of color. your actual parenting abilities are not of any importance.

but the foster care system is revenue generating for the u.s. gov, while in home drug treatment is not. for example, in pennsylvania, every dollar spent on foster care got back 85 cents from state & federal funding. this becomes even worse when counties outsource social services.

parents who’s kids are removed from them (and placed into middle class foster families’ homes) lose their public assistance, for example, if they’re part of a welfare to work program. they have their EBT cut significantly as well.

family separation is traumatic for a child. foster care even more so. 1/3 of adults who have aged out of the system report abuse and/ or neglect. 20% have been diagnosed with PTSD. family preservation is not a priority in the u.s. because it’s more expensive, & that’s the truth.

all this to say that under socialism, the needs of all people would be met so poverty would not exist. 30% of children would be reunified if their parents had stable housing under this wretched system. under socialism, everyone would have stable housing.

the child welfare system under socialism would not have a monetary incentive to remove children from their homes. social services would not be outsourced to private companies like maximus. drug treatment programs would be comprehensive, good quality, & entirely government funded.

there’s a reason why cuba is considered one of the happiest places for children to live, and there’s a reason why children go homeless in the u.s. it’s because socialism is good, especially for children.

therefore we must fight for socialism, for the betterment of children, families, and vulnerable people everywhere. join the party for socialism & liberation today and help us fight for a better world http://pslweb.org/join