We should prevent child abuse before it starts

Washington Post

5 days ago

A child's death is always unspeakably tragic, especially when it's clear that different policies could have prevented their death. It's easy to read about Kemy Washington's short life and heartrending death and become convinced that more intensive monitoring by D.C.'s Child and Family Services Agency would prevent future tragedies like this.
Approximately 2,000 children in the United States died from abuse and neglect in fiscal 2023. The nation's child protective services interact with more than 3 million children and their families in any given year. In Washington, D.C. Child and Family Services Agency investigations must verify whether alleged abuse or neglect happened, determine how to prevent it from happening again, and decide whether the child must be removed. How well this works depends on workers' caseloads, community resources and other factors. But the system has two huge shortcomings: (1) It's inherently adversarial, and (2) it can't engage with families until a child has suffered abuse or neglect. There is no 'safe dose' of abuse or neglect; by the time it starts, the risk of adverse, lifelong consequences for the child has increased.
A better approach is to prevent abuse and neglect before they start. Maternal home visiting programs pair new mothers with nurses or paraprofessionals who form a long-term relationship with the family. They help the family access services such as housing, mental health and vocational training. They provide emotional support, they teach parenting skills and child development, and in a situation where a parent relapses, like Kemy's mother did, they can spot it promptly and connect them with appropriate help.
Every child deserves to grow up. Every parent deserves help. We know how to provide that help, and we know how to prevent stories like Kemy's from happening again. We just need to do it.
Melanie Blow, Rochester, New York
The Post's July 26 front-page article 'A toddler starved to death in D.C. Why wasn't she saved?' about Kemy Washington was tragic.
How can someone whose parent has already been flagged by D.C.'s Child and Family Services Agency, and who has family and friends trying to help, still meet such an end?
This heartbreaking outcome is the result of a system that prioritizes individual agency over intervention, despite warnings from Kemy's grandmother and the court-ordered removal of Kemy's sister from home due to neglect. The current approach comes from a place of empathy, treating the removal of a child as a last resort, 'only when families cannot or will not take care of children themselves.' But, we need to acknowledge that the end result of this philosophy can lead to more cases like Washington's.
We should give precedence to the ability for family, friends and the city's welfare agencies to compel people into care. Yes, that approach opens the door to possible horrible outcomes where people are hospitalized against their will or children are removed forcibly from unsafe homes. There are trade-offs to both systems, and neither one will avoid tragedies completely. Policymakers, as well as advocates for the homeless, must acknowledge the potential end result of their chosen approach.
Robin Halsband, Washington
Regarding the July 23 Style article 'Trump moniker may extend to Kennedy Center':
We should ask ourselves why Rep. Michael Simpson (R-Idaho) and the House Appropriations Committee concluded the Kennedy Center Opera House should be named after Melania Trump. Simpson claims it's for her support and commitment to promote the arts, but he lacks evidence.
The Opera House is a prestigious venue that also hosts the annual Kennedy Center Honors. If anyone should be honored with the Opera House bearing their name, it should be Jacqueline Kennedy, whose vision, dedication and actions were instrumental in establishing the Kennedy Center as a prominent showcase for the arts and a symbol of national pride.
After she hosted ballet companies, opera singers, poets, musicians and children's concerts at the White House, Kennedy was a driving force behind establishing the Kennedy Center and played an active role in fundraising efforts. Despite her contributions, no venue at the center was named in her honor. The Kennedy Center itself was named after her husband, the 35th president of the United States.
The Opera House should be named after a proven and extraordinary supporter of the arts.
Barbara Gentile, McLean
As the July 28 Metro article 'Take it with a grain of (road) salt' noted, Consumer Affairs, an online review platform, recently identified D.C. as having the worst traffic in the United States, but with comparatively few fatal crashes. But from what I have seen driving primarily in suburban Maryland, the District might not have the worst drivers. When I drive, I witness drivers running red lights, blowing through stop signs and ignoring right-turn-only lanes. (To those who drive Massachusetts Avenue to the Sangamore Road stoplight and ignore the right-turn-only markings in the right lane, I'm watching you!) I won't go so far as to say that these practices portend the end of civilization as we know it, but they cannot be a good development.
John T. Rich, Bethesda
Not so long ago, skilled workers used to do something remarkable here in the DMV. For 50 or maybe even 75 years, they paved our roads, repaved them when needed and somehow managed to place manhole covers level with the street.
Now, in this age of lasers, digital mapping and artificial intelligence, that once-simple task seems to have become a lost art.
Instead, we now have what can only be described as government-sponsored potholes: perfectly misaligned manhole covers, courtesy of our local authorities.
Dan Mica, Alexandria
I have been to the National Mall a handful of times, and its monuments and magic made me want to return. I am sad to say that I left the park recently and do not wish to go back.
A few short steps into the park, a rider speeding on an electric scooter buzzed past me. A mistake, I thought to myself. Surely, people must respect the National Mall and understand how parading on their neon bikes and scooters would be disrespectful. The walking space bordering the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, once filled with listeners to Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech, is now treated as a racetrack. I could not believe the National Park Service would allow this.
The National Mall's clean and well-kept aesthetic has been jeopardized by clusters of lime-green scooters and their ambient light. The Mall is at the heart of D.C. and serves as a reflection of the entire city. I remember D.C. as an elegant powerhouse, fueled with the history of America and where leaders take charge. Instead, the presence of these vehicles on the Mall cheapens this national treasure and therefore the city itself.
The National Mall is not like other parks. While the views from Yosemite or the wildlife at Yellowstone make its visitors appreciate the present, the National Mall's monuments and memorials urge viewers to feel the past and care for the future. It must be equally protected. One would not allow the usage of electric scooters and bikes on the floor of the Grand Canyon, so why allow it steps away from the World War II memorial?
All it takes is a voice of authority to end the usage of electric scooters and bikes on the grounds of the National Mall.
Lilly Thornblad, Arlington
The July 28 Sports article 'De Minaur takes final in three sets, then reaches out' was an uplifting account of the men's DC Open singles final. It provided a good reminder of the importance of sportsmanship. The accompanying photograph of the victorious Alex de Minaur comforting his crestfallen opponent, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, was a cause for joy in the uncivil, inconsiderate, win-at-all-costs environment confronting us daily. De Minaur is to be congratulated on his new title as well as his compassion, consideration and good sportsmanship.
William A. McCollam, Fairfax
The Post's July 30 Metro article '8 taken off Va. college boards' suggested that Fairfax County Circuit Judge Jonathan D. Frieden's trenchant resolution of the controversy over the Virginia Senate's rejection of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) public university board appointments should terminate this unnecessary dispute.
Frieden comprehensively rejected the university board defendants' threshold technical arguments. He concluded that the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee vote properly ended the matter in the Senate, thereby effectively defeating it in the General Assembly.
Virginia's Constitution, its statutes and the Senate's rules are extremely clear, and Frieden's ruling — which relied on the Virginia Constitution, Virginia Code and the General Assembly's long-standing procedural rules for addressing proposed gubernatorial appointments — was thorough, persuasive and compelling. Granting a stay would enable improperly appointed board members to continue serving and prolong uncertainty, and the Virginia Supreme Court should expeditiously reject the defendants' stay request.
Carl Tobias, Richmond
The writer is the Williams chair at the University of Richmond School of Law.