Rick Barth Published in Families in Society on the Misuse of "Abolition" in Child Welfare Dialogue.
We are concerned that calls for abolition place the United States as an outlier nation in the global community, continuing to show our national disregard for children and children’s rights. Second, we suggest an end to the use of the term “abolition” to honor the legacy of this word’s profound meaning in the context of U.S. history.
Fundamental to our concern is the continuing failure of those who invoke the term “abolition” to clarify their meaning—is it a fanciful aspiration, or is it a challenge to truly eliminate all child welfare services as we know them? If it is anything other than ending all child welfare services, then it is not abolition—it is reform. Even the staunchest supporters of abolition suggest a repeal-and-replace approach, offering a vague notion about improving community supports for families. If it is a call to end all child welfare services, then it is absurd, as children are routinely harmed and even killed by their parents. For many, their trauma is not interrupted by their family members, neighbors, or communities; in fact, a substantial proportion of referrals to child welfare services (CWS) come from family members who are unable to offer sufficient protection. The preponderance of authors arguing in favor of child welfare transformation in the special issue suggests that we may be nearing an end to any serious consideration of the abolition of child welfare. Unless “abolitionists” truly mean the complete elimination of all child welfare services, which would create unacceptable peril for children given how prevalent child abuse and neglect is today, the term should be set aside to free “abolition” for resumption of its respected common language use in referring to the abolition of slavery.
Barth, R. P., & Berrick, J. D. A Call to Reject Using “Abolition” in Discussions of Child Welfare Out of Respect for Its Legacy. Families in Society, 0(0), 10443894251369146. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894251369146