The Politics of Harmony Montgomery: How the System Failed in Two States
It’s always daunting for me to be in the media. What words can you offer in response to the loss of a child?
Alison King and I discussed the political spin that would no doubt come out of the recent developments in Harmony’s case. I shared with her that the spin would eventually stop and we’d have the same system with the same problems with the same results. I shared that we need to get bold and create a system that dramatically reduces the number of children in foster care. Only then will we be able to meet our obligation for those children that need to be in care.
Lastly, no child should be entangled in this system alone. Children need at least one person solely looking after them and ensuring that their needs are met, they have some sense of normalcy, and they are not slipping through the unavoidable cracks of the system. It’s why I believe in the CASA model so passionately. As is the case for every program, CASA needs to grow and evolve. However, I’ve never seen a program that has more of a positive impact on the lives of children in foster care. As a previous foster youth and the adoptive father of a child from foster care who had a CASA, I’m proud to be an ambassador of this organization.
Read the news story: The Politics of Harmony Montgomery: How the System Failed in Two States