Hold federal government to same standards as parents
If a child told me, “My parent stopped feeding me because there is no money,” even though the parent stated they had money, they just won’t use it for the child’s hunger, as a clinical social worker in an emergency department, I would be legally required to file a report of neglect to the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Yet that is what the federal government is doing to more than 337,000 children in Massachusetts who lost access to food when the SNAP (food stamps) program can no longer provide benefits as a result of the federal government shutdown.
337,000 children. Try to picture that. It’s enough hungry children to fill Gillette Stadium more than five times over.
If it were a parent making this decision, we’d call it neglect. When it’s our government withholding benefits, what do we call it? DCF defines neglect as “failure by a caregiver, either deliberately or through negligence or inability, to provide a child with minimally adequate food…or to prevent malnutrition.”
Our government is committing neglect against our most vulnerable children.
This isn’t just about policy; it’s about prevention. When families can’t feed their children, the harm reverberates across our communities. Families thrive when they have access to resources that support their financial and emotional health. Research shows that when parents can meet their family’s basic needs, such as putting food on the table, they are better equipped to provide safe, nurturing environments for their children. When they lack these supports, the stress can become overwhelming, increasing the risk of child abuse and neglect.
Eliminating programs that support families will have negative long-term consequences. These programs aren’t just lifelines for parents — they stabilize families and safeguard children. Weakening them doesn’t just make it harder for families to get by; it actively puts children at risk.
We know that economic insecurity, including food insecurity, is a root cause of child abuse and neglect. In fact, we’ve recently partnered with researchers from Harvard-affiliated programs and the Greater Boston Food Bank on a new study to develop programs that promote healthy eating and reduce food insecurity in order to strengthen families, reduce stress, and prevent child abuse and neglect. Depriving families of food — our most basic need as humans — is not just a skipped meal. It is actively putting children and families at risk. If we truly care about the wellbeing of children, we should be strengthening the systems that support families, not eliminating them.
If you’d call DCF to report a parent who denied food to their children, then today, call your legislator. And then call your friend or cousin in another state and ask them to do the same.
And while you’re waiting for Congress to act, do something now:
Donate to your local food bank.
If you employ someone who receives SNAP — your childcare provider, home health aide, ride-share driver, dog walker — consider offering a larger tip, a grocery gift card, or simply ask, “how can I help?”
Preventing neglect starts with ensuring families have what they need to thrive. We can meet this moment together with advocacy, compassion, and action. Preventing child abuse and neglect takes all of us. Let’s get moving.
Jennifer Valenzuela, Executive Director of the Children’s Trust, a statewide public-private organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect in Massachusetts; she also serves as a clinical social worker in a local Boston emergency department.
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