Assembly Bill 667: Protecting Children?

I caught another press release from Disability Rights Wisconsin. This time it involves a bill that has passed the legislature. Bill 667 is all about protecting children with disabilities within Child Protection Services and investigations.

Once again, I have a bit of a bone to pick with this bill and DRW about the requirement to list whether a child involved in an abuse investigation has a disability. In my job, we want to be able to find data sources to show that services are effective. This bill collects data by requiring CPS to not only document whether a child has a disability but also identifying that disability within categories.

I agree that children and adults with disabilities a higher incidence of abuse from parents, guardians, and service providers. The plan is to develop collaborations with DHS. What is DHS going to do in county CPS investigations? I also agree that when it comes to non-verbal children, there should be a written process of procedures to follow to better assess the possibility of abuse.

But where is the self determination or self worth of the child when you require that their disabilities be disclosed? And then it ends up on a spreadsheet somewhere for the state to use to garner funding in the future, not the counties. Their mention of offering additional training means more money for universities that run professional development trainings which in turn helps the state department of safety and professional services (licensing).