Children at Risk

League of Women Voters^®
of Virginia

Public Policy Position

CHILDREN AT RISK
The League of Women Voters of Virginia believes that the state government shares with other levels of government the responsibility to meet the basic needs of at-risk children. The state government should establish a policy defining and supporting a minimum quality of life, with the legislators defining standards to meet the basic needs of these children.
We believe the basic needs to be: shelter, family/community support, health care (including mental health care), food, education (including vocational training) and physical safety.
The League supports:

Funding priorities in the following order of importance: preventive services (including rehabilitative. programs), family support services, crises services, court costs and detention (secure and other);
Evaluation of services and program effectiveness, determination of overlapping services, gaps in services, or unmet needs of children by citizens committees/task forces;
A state mandate directing communities to develop case planning and case management systems to assure timely access to services. The case management process should include representatives of local and state agencies, guardian! parent, court intake officers, court child advocates, and the non-profit sector; and
The continued use of internal grievance procedures for persons who feel mistreated by agency decisions or judicial remedies. (1989)

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