A History Of Child Welfare Policy: Responding To Tragedies Over Systemic Policy Changes

Several times a year, a story about an abused or neglected child makes headlines. It's heartbreaking, but what's even more sobering are the tens of thousands of cases in Massachusetts each year that don't make the news.

For those children who do make headlines, there is a a predictable pattern: an investigation, criminal charges, promises of reform and, often, a reorganization of the child welfare agency.

What if that cycle could be broken? What would it take? How could child welfare policy be shaped to prevent such tragedies rather than simply react to them?

Jill Lepore, American history professor at Harvard University and a contributor to The New Yorker.

The New Yorker: Baby Doe: A Political History Of Tragedy