This invited paper presents a call to abolish the child welfare system and invites readers to join this urgent and growing movement. The movement to abolish the child welfare system is built upon the recognition that forcible family separations are state-sanctioned violence and the only solution to ending this violence is to end the policies and structures that enable it. As has been true in abolitionist movements of the past, today’s abolitionist movement has emerged from recognition that existing conditions are untenable, and that meaningful improvements cannot be achieved within the existing framework. The paper reviews the foundational ideas that inform the abolitionist movement and presents a vision for a future where children and families are strengthened and supported, rather than surveilled and separated.
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