Sometimes it’s not possible to keep a child with their family, and that is certainly a tragedy. Maybe it’s the worst of tragedies.
Regardless, before we rip children from their roots, we’d better make sure we aren’t forcing our middle-class values on their poverty-ridden families. We inflict a world of hurt on kids when we take them from their parents, even if it’s justified and temporary. There is no way to escape that fact. It’s never an easy call. There are no crystal balls, slide rules, psychics, or computer programs that can predict the outcome, so it’s paramount that we make those decisions with utmost care, forethought, and purpose. The success of children and the integrity of families are at stake.
