Lullaby

OK, I have a question, but I don't know if anyone will be able to answer it, unless they work in the Welfare/Social Services area.

In this episode, Maxine is counseling a woman whose family has been in the foster care system for four generations. The latest mother is desperate to make things work, so much so that she unfortunately completes the cycle of abuse onto her own children (twins), who wind up being taken away (and apparently this is not the first time the children were taken away from the mother), and the mother is arrested.

My question is, with the fact that this is now four generations of mothers in this family who have their children taken from them, and four generations of children taken from their mother, how do you help them break the cycle? Further, since this is the fourth generation, who is to blame? Is it solely the mother's fault that every generation, her children are taken from her, or is it Social Services fault also for not better helping these mothers cope with their situation? Or are these mothers simply doomed to repeat the cycle of violence upon their children, and therefore when the children grow up, they continue the violence with their children?

At what point do we admit that Social Services/DCFS/DCF/whatever they call themselves, is not working, and that something needs to be done to overhaul the system and rebuild it to make it work better, and actually help families, rather than simply repeatedly taking children from their parents? Or is this not something that can be done? I know if it can be done, it's not something that can be done easily, but it just seems that there should be more to do than just yanking kids from their parents. And I know there are programs the mothers/parents are supposed to attend to "teach" them to be better parents, but obviously it's not working if the violence continues, and succeeds to the next generation.

Sorry for the "rant," it's just that this part of the episode really bothers me.