The courageous children in our child welfare system in America deserve so much more than we give them.  These children come to us harmed from their lives of deprivation and abuse at the hands of the people who are supposed to love and care for them the most. Our focus should be on healing them. They should receive our finest care and our best resources to ameliorate the effects of a lifetime of impoverishment.  These children should be a national priority.  Unfortunately, they are not.

Some children are well cared for in the foster care system and some children are not. The children who survive usually have formed an attachment to a caring adult, who provides the essential nurturing and stability their own parent did not. Unfortunately, there are not enough guardians, mentors, supporters and friends for children in the child welfare system. It is important that we hear their compelling stories of pain and resilience, despair and hope, and vulnerability and strength.   Then, it is crucial that we be a source of their hope and an active participant in their future.

Cindy Lederman
Administrative Judge
Miami, FL