“Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.”

- William E. Gladstone, British Liberal politician, four time Prime Minister.

Unless the tattered social safety net is repaired, children will continue to be

abused and neglected perhaps to a greater degree than in the past.

Useful Definitions• social safety net Definition Social welfare services provided by a

community of individuals at the state and local levels These services are geared toward eliminating poverty in a specific area. These services may include housing re-assignment, job placement, subsidies for household bills, and other cash equivalents for food. Social safety net works in conjunction with a number of other poverty reduction programs with the primary goal of reducing/preventing poverty. From businessdictionary.com

• Social mobility is a person’s movement over time from one class to another. Social mobility can be up or down and can be either intergenerational (occurring between generations, such as when a child rises above the class of his or her parents) or intragenerational (occurring within a generation, such as when an individual changes class because of business success). Societies differ in the extent to which social mobility is permitted. From http://sociology.about.com

The “social safety net” and “social mobility” are both very recent ideas. Remaining in the status you were born into has long been the norm in human

society. So has being allowed the freedom to starve if you can’t provide for yourself or manage to beg from your neighbors.

Cultures based on caste and inherited rank have lasted many thousands of years. Some still exist today.

For some reason, societies tend to form social structures that match Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I can’t believe that I’m the

first to notice that.

The idea of people being able to rise and fall in society based on their merits and luck is a fairly recent idea, and it has never been

popular with the people near the top of the pyramid.

What we do as social workers by strengthening individuals, families and entire systems can be seen as a way to let people at the bottom of the pyramid develop and mature

in ways to lift themselves up as high as their own potential allows.

How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb ? One, but only if the light bulb is willing to change!!

But of course our clients also need to have both the inner resources and the tangible assets to change and improve their situation. That’s where the “social safety net” comes into play. It requires a quality public education system, affordable housing,

personal safety and security and other basic needs to be fulfilled for clients to rise (or fall) as far as they are willing to work for.

Samples of the logical, well reasoned arguments AGAINST helping those in need from those who think social spending is a waste.

Don’t quote me, but I always think of THIS guy when I hear people bashing the social safety net.

Proven: poverty can cause life long educational disadvantages.

• Growing up poor, stressed impacts brain function as adult Summary: Poverty, coupled with stress, has long-lasting effects on brain function, according to a new study. Researchers found that test subjects who had lower family incomes at age 9 exhibited, as adults, greater activity in the amygdala, an area in the brain known for its role in fear and other negative emotions. These individuals showed less activity in areas of the prefrontal cortex, an area in the brain thought to regulate negative emotion. P. Kim, G. W. Evans, M. Angstadt, S. S. Ho, C. S. Sripada, J. E. Swain, I. Liberzon, K. L. Phan. Effects of childhood poverty and chronic stress on emotion regulatory brain function in adulthood. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1308240110

Proven: poverty can cause life long educational disadvantages.

• Children's genetic potentials are subdued by poverty: Effects show by age 2 Summary: Children from poorer families do worse in school, are less likely to graduate from high school, and are less likely to go to college. A new study finds that these differences appear surprisingly early: by the age of 2. It's not a genetic difference. Instead, something about the poorer children's environment is keeping them from realizing their genetic potentials. E. M. Tucker-Drob, M. Rhemtulla, K. P. Harden, E. Turkheimer, D. Fask. Emergence of a Gene x Socioeconomic Status Interaction on Infant Mental Ability Between 10 Months and 2 Years. Psychological Science, 2010; 22 (1): 125 DOI: 10.1177/0956797610392926

Proven: poverty can cause life long educational disadvantages

• Toxic combination of air pollution and poverty lowers child IQ Summary: Children born to mothers experiencing economic hardship, who were also exposed during pregnancy to high levels of PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), scored significantly lower on IQ tests at age 5 compared with children born to mothers with greater economic security and less exposure to the pollutants. Julia Vishnevetsky, Deliang Tang, Hsin-Wen Chang, Emily L. Roen, Ya Wang, Virginia Rauh, Shuang Wang, Rachel L. Miller, Julie Herbstman, Frederica P. Perera. Combined effects of prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and material hardship on child IQ. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 2015; DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2015.04.002

Proven: poverty can cause life long educational disadvantages

• Poverty-related stress affects readiness for school Summary: Researchers studying 1,300 mostly low-income children looked at demographic characteristics, household environment, parenting quality, and cortisol levels when the children were 7-24 months old and executive functions when the children were 3. They found that children in lower-income homes received less positive parenting and had higher levels of cortisol in their first two years than children in slightly better-off homes, and that higher levels of cortisol were associated with lower levels of executive function abilities. Clancy Blair, Douglas A. Granger, Michael Willoughby, Roger Mills-Koonce, Martha Cox, Mark T. Greenberg, Katie T. Kivlighan, Christine K. Fortunato. Salivary Cortisol Mediates Effects of Poverty and Parenting on Executive Functions in Early Childhood. Child Development, 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01643.x

Proven: funding for quality early education improves future outcomes

• Early childhood programs found to significantly lower likelihood of special education placements in third grade Summary: Access to state-supported early childhood programs significantly reduces the likelihood that children will be placed in special education in the third grade, academically benefiting students and resulting in considerable cost savings to school districts, according to new research. C. G. Muschkin, H. F. Ladd, K. A. Dodge. Impact of North Carolina's Early Childhood Initiatives on Special Education Placements in Third Grade. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2015; DOI: 10.3102/0162373714559096

Proven: funding for quality early education improves future outcomes.

• Early childhood education program yields high economic returns Summary: For every $1 invested in a Chicago early childhood education program, nearly $11 is projected to return to society over the children's lifetimes -- equivalent to an 18 percent annual return on program investment, according to a new study. Arthur J. Reynolds, Judy A. Temple, Barry A. B. White, Suh-Ruu Ou, Dylan L. Robertson. Age 26 Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Child-Parent Center Early Education Program. Child Development, 2011; 82 (1): 379 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01563.x

Proven: funding for quality early education improves future outcomes.

• Early education narrows the achievement gap with younger starts and longer stays Summary: New research reveals high-quality early education is especially advantageous for children when they start younger and continue longer. Not only does more high-quality early education significantly boost the language skills of children from low-income families, children whose first language is not English benefit even more. Noreen Yazejian, Donna Bryant, Karen Freel, Margaret Burchinal. High-quality early education: Age of entry and time in care differences in student outcomes for English-only and dual language learners. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2015; 32: 23 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.02.002

Proven: providing better living conditions in childhood benefits those individuals and society in general.

• For low-income families, substandard housing takes toll on children Summary: A study of 2,400 children living in low-income neighborhoods links poor housing quality to an increase in emotional and behavioral problems in children and poor school performance in teens, according to a team of researchers. The findings suggest linking quality and affordability when considering housing policies. Rebekah Levine Coley, Tama Leventhal, Alicia Doyle Lynch, Melissa Kull. Relations between housing characteristics and the well-being of low-income children and adolescents.. Developmental Psychology, 2013; 49 (9): 1775 DOI: 10.1037/a0031033

Proven: providing better living conditions in childhood benefits those individuals and society in general.

• Disadvantaged neighborhoods set children's reading skills on negative course Summary: A landmark study from the University of British Columbia finds that the neighborhoods in which children reside at kindergarten predict their reading comprehension skills seven years later. The study, published this week in the journal Health & Place, finds children who live in neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty show reduced scores on standardized tests seven years later -- regardless of the child's place of residence in seventh grade. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/uobc-dns011410.php

Proven: providing better living conditions in childhood benefits those individuals and society in general.

• What makes a child feel unsafe in their neighborhood? Summary: Differences in the way children and adults perceive the world extend to their sense of safety in their social and physical environments and this in turn can impact their health, say researchers. "While we knew that a child's sense of safety is informed by his or her own parents' sense of safety, we did not know how the child's own perceptions of their environment contributes to this sense," explained the study's first author. Carolyn Côté-Lussier, Jonathan Jackson, Yan Kestens, Melanie Henderson, Tracie A. Barnett. A Child’s View: Social and Physical Environmental Features Differentially Predict Parent and Child Perceived Neighborhood Safety. Journal of Urban Health, 2014; 92 (1): 10 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-014-9917-0

Proven though uncomfortable to admit: Children in poverty are far more likely to endure abuse and neglect

or witness violence.

• Babies seeing violence show aggression later Summary: Aggression in school-age children may have its origins in children 3 years old and younger who witnessed violence between their mothers and partners, according to a new study. Megan R. Holmes. The sleeper effect of intimate partner violence exposure: long-term consequences on young children's aggressive behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12071

Proven though uncomfortable to admit: Children in poverty are far more likely to endure abuse and neglect

or witness violence.• Fighting parents hurt children's ability to recognize and

regulate emotions Summary: Exposure to verbal and physical aggression between parents may hurt a child's ability to identify and control emotions, according to a longitudinal study. Exposure to conflict and violence in the home can shape children's neurobiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses. C. Cybele Raver, Clancy Blair, Patricia Garrett-Peters. Poverty, household chaos, and interparental aggression predict children's ability to recognize and modulate negative emotions. Development and Psychopathology, 2014; 1 DOI: 10.1017/S0954579414000935

Proven though uncomfortable to admit: Children in poverty are far more likely to endure abuse and neglect or witness violence.

• Poverty, not bias, explains racial/ethnic differences in child abuse Poverty -- rather than biased reporting -- seems to account for the higher rates of child abuse and neglect among black children, reports a new study. Paul Lanier, Katie Maguire-Jack, Tova Walsh, Brett Drake, Grace Hubel. Race and Ethnic Differences in Early Childhood Maltreatment in the United States. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 2014; 35 (7): 419 DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000083

Proven though uncomfortable to admit: Children in poverty are far more likely to endure abuse and neglect or witness violence.

• Nurturing may protect kids from brain changes linked to poverty Summary: Researchers have identified changes in the brains of children growing up in poverty. Those changes can lead to lifelong problems like depression, learning difficulties and limitations in the ability to cope with stress. But the study showed that the extent of those changes was influenced strongly by whether parents were attentive and nurturing. Luby J, Belden A, Botteron K, Marrus N, Harms MP, Babb C, Nishino T, Barch D. The Effects of Poverty on Childhood Brain Development. JAMA Pediatrics, 2013; DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.3139

Even The Heritage Foundation, which lobbies AGAINST most social spending, agrees. From The Child Abuse Crisis: The Disintegration of Marriage, Family, and the American Community

By Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D.

• The incidence of child abuse decreases significantly as family income increases. The impression that there is a high incidence of abuse among the very poor is reinforced by the results of research into child abuse. In 1993, the overall rate of maltreatment (abuse and neglect combined) in the United States was lowest in families with incomes above $30,000 per year; 10 times higher in families with incomes between $15,000 and $30,000 per year; and 22 times higher for families with incomes below $15,000 per year.10

• http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/1997/05/bg1115-the-child-abuse-crisis

Even The Heritage Foundation, which lobbies AGAINST most social spending, agrees. From The Child Abuse Crisis: The Disintegration of Marriage, Family,

and the American Community By Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D.

• Child abuse frequently is intergenerational. Another generation of child abusers is being weaned by today's abusing parents, and many of these children will never know that children can be treated differently.

• Child abuse is directly associated with serious violent crime. An increase in the incidence of child abuse precedes an increase in violent crime

Even The Heritage Foundation, which lobbies AGAINST most social spending, agrees. From The Child Abuse Crisis: The Disintegration of Marriage, Family,

and the American Community By Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D.

• Child abuse is prevalent in "communities of abuse" characterized by family breakdown. These also are communities of crime, characterized by the absence of marriage, the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse, and a primary dependence on welfare.11 Children who grow up in these "communities" show signs of permanent damage; moreover, as statistics follow them over time, many prove to have been damaged for life. From these communities of abuse come society's "superpredators" (the psychopathic criminals of tomorrow), violent gang members, and other hostile, depressed, and frequently even suicidal young people.

With all this evidence, why would ANYONE not support a functional social safety net? My own theory: Rich

people don’t understand Literature.

I mean come on, it was a warning, not a “how to” manual.

So always remember to ask people when you discuss any new research, old and proven

technique to improve client outcomes, or a policy to fund and expand the safety net: