More poverty, more abuse and neglect. Are schools and social... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

More poverty, more abuse and neglect. Are schools and social... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

More poverty, more abuse and neglect. Are schools and social services up to the challenge? 

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Are schools and social services over extended?

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By Maureen Downey

Is the school counselor wrong in this case?

A Clayton County elementary school counselor was arrested Friday for not reporting suspected abuse of a 5-year-old student. However, Cynthia Stamps-Jones said she tried several times to contact the state Division of Family and Children Services, but no one answered the phone.

A Riverdale councilwoman, Stamps-Jones said she also alerted her supervisors and the county’s school board office, her attorney said.

I have had counselors complain to me that the Division of Family and Children Services does not respond quickly or thoroughly. How far can and should school counselors go? And if DFCS fails to respond, what is the next step that school counselors should take?

I used to write about child welfare and overworked case workers had their share of tales about schools.

In essence, we have two over-extended and understaffed systems, neither of which has much of a safety net if it makes a mistake. Both have too few employees to deal with the increasing numbers of children at risk.

Georgia has seen a jump in children living in poverty. Higher poverty brings a higher incidence of child neglect, malnutrition, substance abuse and