Thomas Francis Carr
Child Advocate
Irish
2001 Recipient

www.ThomasCarrLMFT.com

    Tom Carr has devoted more than twenty years of service as Child Welfare Specialist working on behalf of abused and neglected children. He says his Devotion to this endeavor is made stronger by the realization that the Children he deals with "each day, know more about violence, drug abuse, Abandonment, sexual assault, despair… and even death, before they know
Anything about life".

    Tom was born and raised in Natick Massachusetts, the fourth of six Children of Thomas E. and Helen L. (Ford) Carr. Tom still lives in Natick.
   
    Third generation Irish on both parents’ sides, Tom's roots are strongly Tied to Galway County, Ireland.

    Tom says his strong commitment to working with children came when he Himself was only a boy. At age 13, Tom and a friend volunteered at a summer Camp for physically handicapped children. In following summers Tom and his Younger brother John volunteered at another camp for children with Muscular
Dystrophy.

    In July of 1980, the Massachusetts Department of Social Services was Created. Tom became the supervisor of intake, and over the next five years Developed a strong liaison with the local District Court, as well as Community agencies, and schools.

    It was also at this time (1981) that Tom spoke for the first time at a National conference. The first conference was in Milwaukee, the National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect. For the next twenty years Tom would Speak at least one national or international conference on subjects of Child abuse and neglect; including AIDS, sexual abuse, missing and exploited Children, residential care, and many others.

    Tom then went into private practice and has independently investigated Child abuses cases, most of which came before the Boston Juvenile Court, the Second oldest Juvenile Court in the country. In more than 15 years, and over 500 investigations, Tom would like to say, "I have already seen everything bad
That can happen to a kid, but I know I haven't."

    Tom was featured in a 1992, Boston Globe Magazine article who Guards the Children.

    Tom has also been appointed more than two hundred times as a Guardian ad Litem, to "stand in the shoes" of children, making sure that their best Interests are being met and giving them a voice in what happens in Court. Tom has also been retained as an expert in child abuse and child welfare.

    While Tom continued his work with the Courts on a full time basis, the Catholic Church in Massachusetts and throughout the world were rocketed with Disclosures of sexual abuse by clergy members. In 1992, Tom and Katherine Donnelly a friend from the Boston Juvenile Court, who also happens to be a Catholic nun, started the Pastoral Response Assistance Team Inc. a Multidisciplinary group of clinical professionals, lawyers, religious and Others, to work on the issue head on. While much of there work was "behind The scenes", Tom and Sister Katherine have worked in cases that received National attention, including cases where one priest is now doing life in Prison, and another where one priest made allegations against another, which Played out on Court TV.

    Tom describes himself as a "basic meat and potatoes kind of guy", simple And straight forward. The jewelry he wares is most often limited to a $35 Watch and occasional a Claddagh medallion or other such indication of his Heritage. He continually talks about the importance of "commitment to doing". Working as hard as you can for what you believe in. He has a strong work Ethic.

    In the end, while many think the work Tom and others like him do is "like Shoveling against the tide”, Tom feels it is important work made easier by Having strong roots… roots in your family… roots in you community… roots in Your church… roots in your culture". Tom equates his Work to that of being like that of "the first person coming upon a burning Building. You do what you can do to help, until more and better help arrives. Only sometimes it feels like there's not enough help, and the fire is never Going to go out!”

    In the end Tom quips that the "fight" in his Irish nature has kept him From "burning out". On his desk sits a small pair of children's shoes which He says reminds him that while he sometimes lacks the resources he wants no Child on his watch to be unsure of his commitment".

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