Staff at New Hampshire’s Division for Children, Youth and Families report opening a juvenile criminal case to get services for a child when they can’t find enough evidence to open a child protective services case. That's according to a new report from the Office of the Child Advocate, an independent agency that oversees the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
The report says this practice shifts blame from the parents to the children.
Involvement in both the criminal justice system and child protective services disproportionately impacts children of color, and kids who identify as LGBTQ or gender nonconforming.
A point-in-time survey conducted by the Office of the Child Advocate found that 100 percent of the children incarcerated in the Sununu Youth Services Center also had a history of involvement with Child Protective Services.
Other areas of concern addressed by the report include access to psychiatric care and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
