[ Text of section effective until July 31, 2008. Repealed by 2008, 215, Sec. 43.]
Section 1. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the commonwealth to assure every child a fair and full opportunity to reach his full potential by providing and encouraging services which strengthen family life and support families in their essential function of nurture for a child's physical, social, educational, moral, and spiritual development. Every child shall be entitled to the full protection of the commonwealth. In the absence or inability of parents to provide care and protection for their children, it shall be the responsibility of the commonwealth to assure substitute residential care and protection for every child. The purposes of this chapter are as follows:--
(1) to assure the sound and coordinated development of all services to children;
(2) to assure parents a decisive role in the planning, operation, and evaluation of programs which aid families in the care of children;
(3) to respect and draw upon family values and cultural heritage;
(4) to establish the administrative framework for, and promote the development of day care services in order to provide that such services shall be available in every community for all families which express a need for them;
(5) to assure that family foster care or other residential care is provided only when the family itself or the resources available to the family are unable to provide the necessary care and protection to insure the rights of any child to sound development; and
(6) to assure that every child shall in all circumstances be protected against all forms of neglect, cruelty, abuse, and exploitation.