Issues We Care About

As advocates for children and families, we at the Greater Bay Area Child Abuse Prevention Council Coalition are deeply concerned about the harmful effects of developing immigration policies, particularly the proposed expansion of deportations and the "public charge" rule, on the well-being of children in immigrant families.

These policies exacerbate the risks to a child’s well-being in profound and far-reaching ways. Deportation policies resulting in separating parents from their children can cause significant trauma. Children who witness or experience the forced removal of a parent often develop anxiety, depression, and other emotional issues that can persist into adulthood. In cases where children are left behind, they may be thrust into the foster care system, placing additional strain on already overburdened child welfare agencies.

The public charge rule, which discourages immigrant families from accessing essential benefits such as healthcare, housing, and nutrition assistance, is equally concerning. These resources are critical for a child’s development and safety. By creating a chilling effect where families fear seeking help, this policy increases the likelihood of neglect, food insecurity, and unmet medical needs—all key risk factors for child abuse and neglect.

Studies show that nearly one in four children in the United States lives in an immigrant family. Policies that destabilize these families not only harm children but also weaken the social fabric of our communities.

Healthy families are the cornerstone of thriving societies, and when children are denied stability and security, we all suffer the consequences.

We urge policymakers to prioritize the welfare of children when considering immigration policies. Family unity and access to basic needs must be protected to ensure every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment.

Our children’s future—and the future of our nation—depends on it.

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We strongly condemn the recent actions of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to classify gender-affirming care for transgender children as “child abuse.”

Simply stated, gender-affirming care for transgender children is not child abuse. It is, in fact, a demonstration of love and acceptance. By contrast, the Texas action is abusive and ignores the facts that transgender children and adults are at greater risk of depression, thoughts of suicide and attempted suicide.

Equating gender affirming care with child abuse is a direct assault on the purpose of child protection laws and diverts child protection resources from legitimate reports of suspected child abuse, thereby endangering children. Texas’ action will require doctors, nurses, teachers, and other adults who have contact with transgender children to report purported “abuse” to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services or face possible criminal penalties.

The Greater Bay Area CAPC’s leadership joins California leaders in strongly denouncing the Texas action, including: Senator Scott Wiener- “CA will always have the backs of LGBTQ youth & their families.”, Mayor London Breed -“In San Francisco, we will continue to support all of our LGBTQ youth, the parents who love them, and our entire trans community.” Trent Rhorer, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, along with his colleagues throughout California at the County Welfare Directors Association of California, and its Executive Director, Cathy Senderling, also noted the pernicious effect of this action “in calling on child welfare agencies for political purposes when abuse or neglect are not present runs the risk pulling our already limited staff resources away from vulnerable children and youth who are victims of, or at risk of, abuse and neglect.”

As an organization dedicated to strengthening families and ending child abuse, we stand with others from across the county to urge Texas leadership to reject attempts to use laws that are meant to protect children, to instead cause them great harm.

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The Greater Bay Area Child Abuse Prevention Council (GBA CAPC) Coalition is committed to being an accountable and supportive ally in systematically eliminating structural racism and inequities faced by children and families in our region.

We recognize the traumatic effects of racism on Black families; it is real and cannot be ignored. We want to state now, unequivocally, that Black Lives Matter and Black Trauma Matters.

As parents and community members, we grieve for the mothers and fathers who have mourned the unjust deaths of their Black and Brown children, young and grown. As we grieve as a nation, we must confront that the very systems we helped build and operate have enabled — and far too often exacerbated — structural inequities.

In 2020, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, families are facing the closing of child-care facilities and businesses, resulting in the loss of support and income. More urgently than ever, our families need us to help them stay safe and grow strong. Whatever circumstances bring parents and caregivers through our doors, we vow to recognize their inherent strengths and help them overcome the challenges they face.

We must now confront the systems we have created that yield the inequality we are seeing — from education to child welfare; from health care to our justice system; from housing to the economy. We must talk about the disparities that children of color face: being removed from their families and placed into foster care at a disproportionate rate; being sent to prison at higher rates; unequal access to quality education that leaves too many children behind; inequities in housing, health care, employment; fear of the very people authorized to protect them.

If we don’t actively address a system with a history of injustices, we perpetuate its wrongs.

Therefore, in 2020 and 2021, the GBA CAPC Coalition will work to examine and reform the systems that have oppressed Black and Brown individuals in our country and in our community.

Toward this end, we are embarking on a year-long project to engage stakeholders in a conversation about disproportionality in child abuse reporting and the system’s response to a report.

In addition, as individuals and within our home agencies, here are some of the concrete actions that we will take:

Ask ourselves and each other difficult questions about race and equality.

Learn about race, racism, and racial oppression in our country, and have discussions about these issues with the young people in our lives.

Listen to the voices of people with direct and diverse experiences.

Change the behaviors in ourselves, our agencies, and society that cause harm and perpetuate racism.

Together, we must bridge this untenable divide by confronting racism and racial disparities. We continue to be humbled and grateful for the work you all are doing to support each other and those you serve during this incredibly challenging time. We look forward to working with you in 2020 and beyond.

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Only weeks ago a US Supreme Court ruling made it possible for the current administration to move forward with a restriction on public charge, the term used to refer to the necessary social services that may be accessed by immigrant families actively applying for permanent status, such as food, housing and medical care.

This restriction unduly targets new immigrants, creating greater risk factors such as homelessness, poor health and unsafe living conditions. All these factors significantly increase the risk of child abuse, neglect and poor child safety. This restriction will ensure crushing poverty, poor nutrition, poor health and increased homelessness among an already struggling population. It will also serve to erode the trust that is needed between families and social service providers.

Social workers, community organizations and schools have worked for many years to create a fabric of support services to assist the most vulnerable families among us. We believe it is important to understand the need to assist families at such a crucial time in their lives.

We call upon members of the public to learn more about the impact of this decision on children, and to support child abuse prevention councils and other organizations working to create systems that support children and families and keep them safe.

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Child abuse prevention service providers throughout the Greater Bay Area are deeply concerned about the current administration’s proposed policies that threaten to destabilize families.

The most recent threat is limiting eligibility for food assistance that families desperately need to keep their children safe and healthy. Specifically, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly food stamps; now called CalFresh in California) provides food assistance to thousands of low-income people, primarily families with children, and seniors and individuals with disabilities — many of whom are already burdened with high housing costs and other expenses such as childcare.

The federal government has proposed regulations to limit eligibility and the way that states determine who qualifies for food benefits. This administration is willfully telling three million vulnerable people – including tens of thousands in the Greater Bay Area – that they’ll have to look elsewhere for vital nutrition every month.

Those who work directly with families know that this policy change will have serious, real-world consequences for many children. In the words of representatives from the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, “It’s shortsighted, cruel and needs to end now.”

As the Greater Bay Area Child Abuse Prevention Council Coalition, we help families to build concrete supports (like access to food) and other protective factors that are necessary to keep families and children healthy and safe. When families are not stable, children are more likely to suffer harm. That’s why we are deeply troubled by the federal administration’s attempt to weaken our country’s most important and effective anti-hunger program.

When our public policy does not keep pace with the needs of our communities, we perpetuate hardship on our families. We should instead be strengthening them, supporting them, and helping them raise children that are safe and healthy.

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The systemic separation of children from their families is government sanctioned child abuse. We add our voices to the other Americans who are outraged at these actions.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has affirmed that separating families at the border is a form of child abuse. This kind of stress, particularly in small children, can “disrupt the neurological connections that are part of the developing brain” according to Dr. Colleen Kraft.

Every child deserves the comfort and security of their parents. Children should be able to rely on their parents’ nurturing protection.

While encouraged by the executive order halting family separations, we are concerned for the 2,300 children yet to be reunited. We urge Congress and the Administration to end family separation permanently as a part of immigration policy.

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There has been enough dialog about whether or not Woody Allen abused Dylan Farrow. The numerous opinions, finger-pointing, and review of history are missing the point.

The Farrow/Allen case shines the spotlight on a public health crisis that has been swept under the run for far too long.

Research shows that one in four girls and one in six boys will likely be sexually abused by the age of 18. The long-term effects, including mental illness and self‑destructive behaviors, are devastating for individuals and communities. 

Despite these facts, an estimated 87 percent of cases are never reported to the authorities. We at the Greater Bay Area Child Abuse Prevention Council Coalition believe it's time to say "Enough" to the silence, shame, secrets and denial.

In the end, we may never know whether Woody Allen sexually abused Dylan Farrow. But we do know we can join together and stop the harm — and start the healing — for the thousands of children sexually abused each year.

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