‘We Cannot Be Passive When It Comes to Protecting Children’: One Caring Adult Can Change Everything

Editor’s Note: This story mentions instances of abuse and neglect that some readers may find upsetting.

“I was four years old in Grand Central Station in New York City. I was not passing through there. I was not catching a train. I was living there with hundreds of other families. In the mornings, my brother, sister and I begged for money on those platforms… On one of those mornings, something happened that has never left me. It is burnt into my memory. The crowd parted a few feet in front of me and came back together behind me like I was not there, like I was an obstruction in a flowing river… no one looked at me. No one made eye contact. No one acknowledged me… That was the moment I learned what indifference feels like… Indifference is not passive. It is a force. It shapes lives. It determines who is seen and who is invisible. Who gets help and who is left behind.” 

– David Ambroz, National Child Welfare Advocate, Author and Head of Community Engagement, Amazon West

Protecting Children Through Active Care

Last month, CWS participated in the Child Welfare League of America’s Annual Conference, where a group of 800 professionals from around the country convened to share strategies to more effectively safeguard vulnerable children from exploitation and abuse. 
 
The agenda was both challenging and hopeful. Tiffany Nelms-Agostini, Director of the CWS Home Study and Post-Reunification Program for Unaccompanied Children, observed, “There are so many people on the front lines trying to show kids they matter, and that we can fight indifference as our own force of care. Our caseworkers have seen firsthand that we cannot be passive when it comes to protecting children.” 
 
Unfortunately, many children are being failed by the systems designed to keep them safe. Through our Children’s Services Programs, CWS supports children across the country who are increasingly impacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. Many of these immigration enforcement actions are traumatic for children and families, isolating them from their communities; disrupting people’s ability to work and earn income; creating an atmosphere of constant fear and chronic stress; and tearing families apart when a parent or family member is detained.  
 
“The systems meant to protect children often lack the culturally responsive and trauma-informed design needed to effectively support children whose families are detained,” said Tiffany. “Being in strained systems and not having access to the key people in their lives who love, support and stabilize them is an incredibly traumatizing experience for kids. It can cause a lifetime of harm for a child, even if the separation is temporary.” 

Today, with the safety and well-being of so many vulnerable children at stake in the United States, indifference is unacceptable.

Sign up for CWS Action Alerts to learn how you can take action to protect migrant children.

One Caring Adult Can Change Everything for a Child 

Conference keynote speaker, David Ambroz, shared personal details of the homelessness, abuse and neglect he endured for more than 12 years of his childhood, including during his time in foster care.  

David’s most important message was that his life was forever changed when one caring adult paid attention to his situation and intervened to protect him.  

That person’s decision to take action and help gave David the foundation for the life he has now as a UCLA law school graduate, homeowner, father, Amazon executive, nonprofit founder and published author.   

“There is real, long-lasting power that a child experiences when they see that someone cares,” said Tiffany.  

Our CWS caseworkers are part of a network committed to caring for kids. This network means that thousands of children have advocates who are there to help them navigate some of life’s hardest scenarios. 

For Tiffany and the CWS caseworkers, that means helping kids go to school in the morning when the world feels like it’s unraveling or helping them feel safe enough to go to the doctor for a chronic and untreated condition. Their support means children feel like they can play, learn and create with their families rather than living in hiding.  

At its core, this work is about making sure every child feels seen and supported. Child protection professionals like Tiffany and CWS caseworkers show up for children in many ways, every single day, to validate their experiences and make sure they aren’t facing difficult situations alone.  

“For those on the frontlines supporting these kids,” said Tiffany, “my biggest takeaway from the Child Welfare League of America Annual Conference is that one caring adult, just one, can change everything. Your care is a protective force for children that the world needs so much right now.” 

This blog was written in collaboration with Tiffany Nelms-Agostini, Director of CWS’s Home Study and Post-Reunification Program Unaccompanied Children, and Sandra Slater de Hernández, Caseworker for Unaccompanied Children.

CWS is proud to be a member of the Child Welfare League of America, working alongside partners to advance best practices and improve supports for children, youth and families across the United States. Learn more about CWS’s child-focused programs here.