As a former elementary school teacher, co-founder of the Youth Justice Project at Community Legal Services (CLS), and parent of two small children, I care deeply about the well-being of children, youth, and families.
During my 10 years representing youth as an attorney at CLS, I have become convinced that Pennsylvania’s ChildLine Registry — purportedly created to help children and youth — is far more likely to cause them harm, especially if they are Black, brown, and poor.
Parents, caregivers, and even children as young as 14 can be placed on the registry based on abuse or neglect allegations made by an investigating caseworker, without an opportunity to have a hearing first. People are often placed on the registry based on accidental injuries or neglect allegations that stem from conditions of poverty.
Once placed on the registry, they are unable to work in a wide range of fields, including all childcare and many health care jobs. Parents, caregivers, and youth placed on the registry are also unable to volunteer for school or extracurricular activities.
In our experience at CLS, the vast majority of parents, caregivers, and youth harmed by this system — over 90% of our clients — are Black and brown.
La Liga del Barrio, a volunteer-run youth basketball league in North Philadelphia, has served upwards of 15,000 children and youth in the past 22 years. It has had to turn away dozens of caring parents who wanted to volunteer with the league but couldn’t because they were listed on the registry.
For example, a team from La Liga was invited to attend a tournament in Indianapolis, and all children needed an adult chaperone to accompany them. But several kids weren’t able to go because their parents could not provide the required ChildLine clearances. Those kids had to miss the tournament.
When parents and caregivers are unable to work or advance their careers because they have been listed on the registry, their children are harmed.
A CLS client I’ll call M.A. had to drop out of nursing school because she was placed on the registry without a hearing first.
While navigating a lengthy and complex process to clear her name, she remains on the registry and is now permanently unable to rejoin her nursing program. She has several children to support and has lost a vital opportunity to advance her career and earnings due to this broken system.
La Liga del Barrio, M.A., and a group of other parents, caregivers, and nonprofit organizations have recently filed suit in Commonwealth Court in the case of A.W. v. Commonwealth, alleging that the registry’s operation is unconstitutional.