Returning to Where it All Began
Last week was busy: some last minute requests at work, family visits, car breakdown in Maine, a 20-mile run, and on and on. In the midst of these activities, I learned that the Maine Government Oversight Committee was holding a public comment session about two tragic child abuse deaths in Maine - Kendell Chick and Marissa Kennedy . Both girls and their families were known to the state's child protective services. This is where I come in. One of my main areas of expertise is children who die from abuse or neglect and the child welfare workforce. What a thing to specialize in, right? I know. Trust me. It's not something that you want to open with at a dinner party. It's best to be vague and say that I study "family violence" or the "child welfare system." That said, I once did have someone on an airplane offer to illustrate the book that I was writing on child maltreatment deaths. He was joking. And, I thought that I made dark jokes. Anyway, enough...