April 18, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "It seems nearly every day we hear news stories about child abuse,
neglect, abandonment and even death," according to James W. Payne, director of the Indiana Department of Child Services and 1968 graduate of DePauw University. "For some of those children, no one
could have prevented or even predicted what eventually happened. But in
the vast majority of cases, if someone had been involved early to offer
help, a tragedy could have been avoided."
In an op-ed distributed to newspapers statewide, Payne notes, "There was a time when
family, friends and neighbors got involved. Folks sat on the front
porch and knew their neighbors. Family members willingly lent a hand to
loved ones. When difficult times or tragedies occurred, strangers
seemed to appear from nowhere to help and console. But these
days, society's safety net seems to have unraveled and in too many
cases, there is no family or community support network."
The former juvenile court judge's column offers "six ways you can make a difference" and concludes, "Make it your mission to serve the children of Indiana. They are our future and deserve the best we can provide -- a future in which they are safe from abuse or neglect."
You'll find the complete essay at the website of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.
Learn more about James Payne in this previous story.