Walk a Mile in Their Shoes is pleased to announce upcoming April listening sessions in Augusta, Rockland, and Auburn during National Child Abuse Prevention Month. These informal meetings are an opportunity for people—foster care parents, childcare professionals, adopters, and others—involved in State mandated day-to-day care of children facing crisis to be heard anonymously and without fear of State retribution. Formed in the wake of a record number of child deaths in 2021, former State Senator Bill Diamond founded Walk a Mile in Their Shoes to prevent the deaths and abuse of children under the care or supervision of Maine’s Child Protection System.
“Children in state care deserve to be safe and this first-ever statewide tour will be a unique opportunity to change a system that is not working and as a result children are dying because that system is letting them down.” said Diamond.
The Save Maine’s Kids Statewide Listening Tour kicked off in Calais on March 30, 2023, and was well attended. This initial session brought to light shortfalls in the current system including lack of or poor communication and follow up, caseworker turnover, children being turned over to foster parents poorly resourced and without necessary medicine or medical equipment, lack of policy adherence, calls for “help” to HHS resulting in removal of children, and poor treatment of caseworkers and fosters by higher ups.
The Honorable Joyce Maker, former state senator and representative from Washington County said, “It’s exciting! Walk a Mile in Their Shoes came all the way to Calais to talk with foster parents, school officials and interested citizens and the results were extraordinary. For the first time individuals responsible for the day-to-day care of HHS involved children were asked for their opinions. As a result, we all heard what isn’t working and more importantly – how we could fix the problems.”
The following dates and locations have been announced.
• Saturday, April 15, 2023 from 1-3 p.m. in Augusta at Penney Memorial Church
• Monday, April 17, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. in Auburn at East Auburn Baptist Church
• Wednesday, April 19, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. in Rockland at the American Legion
Melanie Blair who acts as the volunteer coordinator for Walk a Mile in Their Shoes said, “As a parent and foster parent, I care deeply about the safety and well-being of all children. While the children themselves bring their own struggles, it is the challenges of working with the Department of Health and Human Services that prove to be the most challenging. The lack of communication, consistency, and follow-through, as well as the ever-present fear of retribution when we voice our concerns makes this such a difficult job.”
Information obtained at these listening sessions will be compiled to identify solutions in better protecting Maine’s children currently served by a failing child protective system from abuse and death. Walk a Mile in Their Shoes believes it is important that this research is done face-to-face rather than online which gives the providers most closely connected to these children the ability to share their concerns and ideas without revealing their identities.
“Those who have the knowledge on how to correct our failing system have been ignored and even pressured not speak out…those days are over.” said Diamond. Walk a Mile in Their Shoes is committed to bringing the Save Maine’s Kids Statewide Listening Tour to communities throughout Maine this Spring, Summer, and Fall. In doing so they will listen to hundreds of child care providers and document their common problems and frustrations. More importantly, solutions will be sought out from those charged with the day-to-day care of Maine’s kids in need of help.