Reimagining Foster Care

[Content warning for discussions of physical and sexual abuse] This week, the team is talking about foster care, how child protective cases work, the racism and other problems in the system, misconceptions Christians have about that system, and how we can reimagine a better way of reducing harm to families by taking seriously the perspective of affected parents. Since Sy worked in family court as a public defender, he is effectively our guest today. He gives us some insight into a small but growing movement to transform the way we think about child and family safety, a perspective many Christians need but do not hear.  

Resources mentioned during the episode: 

• Sy’s article about the case of Ma’Khia Bryant 

• The Movement for Family Power

• The Parent Legislative Action Network

• Shattered Bonds by Dorothy Roberts 

• Repeal ASFA

Additional resources: 

• Mother Jones article – “Do We Need to Abolish Child Protective Services?”

• The Marshall Project and the Atlantic article – “When the Misdiagnosis is Child Abuse”

• The NBC News and Wondery Podcast Series – Do No Harm

Shake the Dust is a podcast of KTF Press. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Find transcripts of this show, sign up for our free mailing list, and subscribe to our blog at KTFPress.com. 

Hosts: 

Jonathan Walton – follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.     

Suzie Lahoud – follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

Sy Hoekstra – follow him on Twitter.  

Our theme song is “Citizens” by Jon Guerra – listen to the whole song on Spotify. 

Our podcast art is by Jacqueline Tam – follow her and see her other work on Instagram.  

Shake the Dust is produced and edited by Sy Hoekstra, and transcribed by Suzie Lahoud with help from Descript. 

Questions about anything you heard on the show? Write to shakethedust@ktfpress.com and we may answer your question on a future episode.