PHILADELPHIA -- Richard James Gelles, interim dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania, will participate in "Failure to Protect: A National Dialogue," a PBS special airing at 10 p.m. (EST), Thursday, Feb. 6.

Gelles, who helped draft the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act in 1997, will argue for keeping children safe from abusive parents and assuring permanency for children. While he concedes that sometimes children are taken from their families unnecessarily when the state errs on the side of caution, he strongly believes the system's primary goal should be safety and permanence.

Gelles has been studying the child welfare system for 35 years and is an internationally known expert in the field of child abuse and domestic violence.

In addition to child-welfare experts, the town-hall discussion will feature leaders in the media and the law, politicians, caseworkers, birth parents and foster parents.

The one-hour program is presented by PBS's "Frontline" and the Fred Friendly Seminars.

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