Sometimes children are harmed in their homes. This does not make every parent a suspect. In our current hyper vigilant age, there are more parents being reported to CPS than ever before.
- Loving parents who refuse a recommended medical treatment for their child can be reported by a doctor who might fear losing his license to practice medicine.
- Neighbors or estranged family members may report a family despite the lack of grounds to support any allegations of abuse.
- Parents with a sick child seeking a second opinion have been reported to CPS by hospital or medical authorities.
Since more parents are experiencing a visit from CPS than ever before, and since sometimes those visits have resulted in the quick removal of children – despite no grounds to allegations of harm or abuse – it is critically important for every parent to have a good idea of how to respond to a CPS visit. Don’t think ‘it can’t happen to me.’ Take any visit by CPS seriously.
The most significant mistakes made by parents are usually in the very first encounter. If you can understand how to handle the very first encounter with CPS, you can increase your chances of maintaining your family’s rights and freedom. CPS will often seek to take a family by surprise. Be prepared.
1. THE KEY: Be polite & SAY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. You might be terrified inside. You might be absolutely angry if you feel there is injustice going on, but the number one thing you can do is stay calm and be polite. Anything you say can be twisted. Do NOT DEFEND YOURSELF. Do NOT volunteer information.
2. Do NOT let them in your house. Be nice but STAY FIRM. Have one statement ready and repeat it over and over “I know you are just doing your job, but my main obligation is to my children and to help them avoid unnecessary trauma.” If they do not have a warrant and there is no obvious emergency, they are not allowed access to your home. If a police officer is with them, they all know it is illegal to enter a home unless you CONSENT, or unless they have a warrant, or can hear an emergency situation going on. DO NOT CONSENT.
3. Ask permission to ask THEM questions. “I realize you are just doing your job. Would it be ok if I asked you a couple of questions?” Then, ask if you can record the conversation. If you need to get your cell phone, close the door and say, “I need to get something.” These are the questions to ask them:
- “Firstly, do you have some identification? After you get their ID, write down their name, then ask, “Can you give me the name and phone number of your supervisor?” Write it all down. Take your time.
- Next “What are the exact allegations that have been made against me? Federal law requires that I should be informed of any allegations against me.”
- Ask them if they have a warrant. Be direct. “Do you have a warrant to search my home or speak to my children?” If they produce a warrant make sure it is signed by a judge and dated.
Without a warrant they must gain your consent to enter your home or speak to your children. They are doing their job. Their supervisor has instructed them to make this visit and they will use whatever tactic they feel will be effective to GET MORE INFORMATION AGAINST YOU. They may alternate between: trying to be nice, being firm, threatening or trying to bargain with you. Stay immune to every tactic. Be Nice, but know your rights. Do not get caught up in their games. Don’t engage them in any discussion, except on the questions above.
4. Tell them you are going to contact your attorney and when you get them on the phone, you will allow them to speak to your attorney. Close the door. Phone your attorney so the attorney can speak to the CPS case worker and help them to leave. Your attorney will know the law and remind the case worker of your rights. It is always a good idea to have an advocate on your side.
What do I do if I don’t have an attorney?
If you are a Christian and Homeschooling, you might like to consider joining Heritage Defense.[1] If you are homeschooling you might like to join Home School Legal Defense Association who will defend you against allegations by social services as they pertain to homeschooling. Both organizations require a monthly or yearly fee but are available for telephone help immediately in any emergency situation you might face.
I pray you will never need to use this information. Unfortunately, in the present time of extensive government involvement in the lives of parents, many parents have found themselves in complex situations with CPS. It is better to be forewarned and forearmed. Your number one desire is to protect your children from harm. Too often CPS has brought more harm than help.
Please share your tips for keeping your family safe from unwarranted intrusion in the comments below.
Becky Hastings
Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the very real dangers threatening the health and freedom of today’s parents, providing information to navigate towards joyful family living!
UPDATE: My blog post has been read and shared among nearly 500,000 viewers.
If you need legal help, here is a list of possible resources. http://www.parentalrightsfoundation.org/legalhelp
There is obviously a lot of concern on the topic of CPS and protecting your family. Whether you are currently being investigated by CPS, are a non-offending parent in an open CPS case, or are a mandated reporter, this post by Women’s Justice Center in California has some great tips for “Avoiding the Abuses of Child Protective Services“. The topics presented: A. Tips on How and Where to Report Child Abuse; B. Tips for dealing with CPS if CPS has already opened a case regarding abuse of your child; and C. Tips for getting the best possible representation from your court appointed attorney.
If you’ve never heard of CPS abuses, you might be interested to watch this 13 minute video presentation by Senator Nancy Schaefer from Georgia, highlighting some of her findings after investigating the CPS system for four years. Nancy and her husband were shot and killed in 2010 in what the authorities ruled was a murder suicide. Nancy had been speaking out against CPS abuses and had written a report entitled, The Corrupt Business of the Child Protective Services which focused “on the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS). However, I believe Child Protective Services nationwide has become corrupt and that the entire system is broken almost beyond repair. I am convinced parents and families should be warned of the dangers.”
“I have witnessed such injustice and harm brought to these families that I am not sure if I even believe reform of the system is possible! The system cannot be trusted. It does not serve the people. It obliterates families and children simply because it has the power to do so. Children deserve better. Families deserve better. It’s time to pull back the curtain and set our children and families free.”
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and the needy” Proverbs 31:8-9
[1] Interview with Bradley Pierce of Heritage Defense on Law and Liberty Radio. Preserving our Freedoms, Defending Our Heritage.
Pingback: What to do if CPS shows up at your door! – Home School Educators
Hello we are in TX, and on Nov 10, 2004, our 3 kids were removed. They are home now, but there was something about my son I couldn’t put my finger on. Well, last October I found out what had been bothering him. Come to find out he had been repeatedly raped by another boy. My son was 7, the other boy was like 14. So I called the cops office whrothey taking by. And I told the supervisor. She was actually all apologetic and everything and found a counsellor for me to take him to. But I have to pay for this, we leave at everything when this happened to us. My son who is 22 yrs old now has some anger issues and as a matter of fact he’s in prison for drugs! He hates plp. He hates the police. He hates everything. We want some justice here. Can anyone help me help him? Plz thank u in advance 214-304-9771
Dear Joyce
Thank you for sharing your heartbreaking story. The family court and CPS system is completely broken. I don’t know what the answer is. I hope your son finds healing. What happened to him is horrible, and there is no excuse for such cruel injustice towards children. I believe his only hope is the healing power of our Savior Jesus Christ and I pray he will come to a knowledge of how much God loves him and desires to heal all his pain and anger. I hope you will find someone in Texas with some answers for you.
Becky
I have 6 kids 3 with my ex husband my ex husband’s brother was a weirdo and I kept telling him stay away from my children will one day he grabbed my son between the legs and I found out and called the police. The police came out with CPS and my 4 year old was sitting in his yard (dead end and there is cameras) pushing a truck back and forth. He had a little dirt on his knees. CPS wrote that he was filthy. My house was immaculate by the way I am OCD about cleanliness.
So they asked if they could investigate my kids and I said yes we went to the office and they interviewed each kid alone the three children that went to my ex hisbands house said yes they saw their uncle grab my son, their brother. So they then asked if they could take pictures of my kids privates and I said no absolutely not. They forced my kids to lay down on a table naked and tool pictures of their privates while threatening me that I would lose my kids if I didnt calm down. They physically hurt my daughter as they pulled her privates apart to get pictures. The nurse there also commented on my daughters privates saying they were “cute”. My daughter was 7 and had nothing to do with anything. We went home. Broken confused upset and violated. I tried to protect my kids from a predator and I stepped in the den of the.
They investigated me for 6 months and demanded I take parenting classes and they never ONCE investigated my ex husband’s brother who also openly admitted he grabbed my son between the legs. They only dropped the case after I caught the CPS worker on camera saying she starved her kids to make them eat more at a buffet. Lancaster county CPS are nothing but child traffickers with pedophiles working in their office.
I’m so sorry to hear about the trauma you and your children have been through. I am thankful that your case was closed and I pray you will be able to find strength and healing. We certainly live in an evil world. My greatest comfort and solace come through knowing Jesus Christ personally. Suffering and hardship are part of life, but watching innocent children suffer is particularly difficult. Jesus told us that there is a real enemy of our should that seeks to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus offers us an abundant life in the midst of this evil world. I pray you will have strength and wisdom to guide your children and that they will be strong enough to face the challenges in their future.
Becky
Check the ACLU’s site.
See if they may be interested in your case….
Best I can advise.
Need to find out what screening these people had to Foster if CPS overlooked their background. Go to ACLU they’ll give u your options..gl so sorry for your entire family…
Pingback: CPS for Refusing Vaccines? | Journey Boost
Pingback: Hep B Vaccine Killed this Baby | Journey Boost
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumble upon every day.
It is always interesting to read content from other writers and learn something from other web sites.
I was in foster care as a child. The foster care system is a very broken system. We have to all come together in all states. We need to get organization or support groups started in all states. Im getting organized so I can get my support group meetings started again. I live in Stark County/Canton Ohio area. I will be helping anyone that have a interstate compact placement cases here in Stark county Ohio. I would like to network with everyone from all states. I want everyone to know we have to move forward so for all of our children we cannot keep letting our children suffering in the foster care system. Everyone can e mail me my email address is uwaiters39@gmail.com. Wake up all states join me and my family and friends in our fight to bring all of our children home safe out of the foster hell broken system
Uganda
Thank you for your efforts on behalf of children and families. I pray you will get great support and momentum to reach and help families and children.
Becky
Is this info good for every state ?
If you haven’t read this but on the first contact of cps tried to maintain action of my rights as a parent… and we’re persuaded and manipulated into thinking all you could do was what they asked, IS THERE ANY , ANY WAY TO FIGHT THE DEPARTMENT OR THEIR SO CALLED PROBABLE CAUSES FOR WHATEVER IT WOULD OBTAIN WORTH OF, AFTER FAILING A DRUG SCREEN, DUE TO THEIR CONFUSION AND LIES, STATING THAT BY LAW I NEEDED TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY ASKED OR THEY WERE GOING TO PLACE CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE RIGHT THEN IF I DIDN’T, ALL THIS WITHOUT WARRANT. I feel hopeless and I need my babies back at home wit me, they shouldn’t be in a stranger’s home, and I feel that I should be able to show a clean drug screen and them come home, if nothing else, at least on the grounds that they should’ve never lied to get the screen that which took my children. I am ABSOLUTELY clean now and am having to wait on all these court dates when anything could be happening to my babies as I type right this minute… Sadly, this world can be cruel, hateful, evil and never forget that they will come to you on sheep’s clothing….. Just because the state approves them does not mean that my children should be at home wit them and if so, then God would have blessed them wit these babies….. Sorry if I’m going astray from the question but I’m so scared and so many mistakes and fears already from messing up first contact
My kid’s therapist has contacted the CPS on several occasions about the concerns for the children’s care in the mother and boyfriend’s home. The kids have reported to the CPS that they have been hit in the head chest and stomach. The children in the mother’s care are alienating me by telling them I’m bad and the boyfriend has told them that he is gonna kick my ass. This is unacceptable due to the fact that it causes the children emotional trauma. This has been going on since April of 2017. The police have also contacted the CPS yet the other agency is in a different county and does nothing about it because there are no visible signs. This situation cannot be ignored and I would love to get some help to protect the boys from this kind of thing. They are only 4, 3, and 1. Please call if anybody has some information that can help me. I have been the primary caretaker of the children since they were born. I’m a disabled veteran so I was the one home taking care of the children. These boys are going through a lot as well as I am and I’m dealing with a narcissistic parent. Please help 3168838028. PS This is going on in Kansas where the DCF has failed to do their job on multiple occasions recently and children have died due to the lack of investigation.
You need a court appointed guardian to watch for welfare of kids in both homes. Also need a family lawyer with experience with narcissistic personality disorder. courts are not equipped to deal with this level of manipulation.
My husband eceived a VM from a DCF worker asking to meet to discuss my step daughter who lives with her mom primarily. Originally the custody order gave him weekends and her the weekdays solely because at that time Chloe was 2 and my husband was active duty and deployed in Afghanistan as well as school schedule for the mom. Well My husband and I decided to re do the parenting plan For several reasons one being she is now 5 and started school My husband and I are a blended family with a total of 4 children and all of them are extremely close and we feel it was important for Chloe to have more time with her family on top of that mom makes really bad decisions and has Chloe on so much medication that isn’t even FDA regulated for her age all because she doesn’t wanna deal with her and allows Chloe to do whatever she wants however she wants well in the midst of this Chloe got injured quite a few times last year and her pre K teacher called DCF they Send a worker out And after that pad mom bring Chloe in for ACP T interview which is a forensic child protective team type interview The only reason why my husband I even found out about it Is because I’m retired lawn force ment and mom called me saying she was too scared to go to the meeting alone mom gave us the card to the investigator my husband called her she finally called him back days later explaining that they were closing the case there was no further investigation he asked for information in case file in this that the other she said he was not privy to it…so we decided on making the schedule every other week which means we would get her for a week then mom would get her for a week, and So on and so forth at 1st mom played her normal games and my husband and I put an end to it quickly. We made it very clear that in the divorce agreement and custody of agreement the judge may note several times that both parents are to do everything possible to come to an agreement prior to involving the court so I gave her 2 options she either looked over the new parenting plan and we came to a final agreement or we were filing the next day in court of course she agreed. We started the day after school ended and our last week with her was her birthday which was the 28th of July When it came time to pick up Chloe for our next week we have had numerous numerous attempts at trying to contact mom trying to pick up Chloe and nothing all of the sudden last week my husband received the voicemail and her exact words are..You please call me back my name is Carol I’m with the department of children and families if you could give me a call back at trying to come meet with you and talk with you about Chloe if you could give me a call that would be great thank you, bye. Because of an emergency hospital and surgical day we are just now getting the voicemail and I don’t know what to think and my husband is scared and once Chloe of course the only thing I can think of is either mom’s doing this because she always does stuff like this to keep Chloe away from him or another report has been made on her and they’re coming to him because she has refused us access to Chloe and over a month and Florida DCF once a report is made has 24 hours to make contact either by phone if they can’t get a by phone they show but the house and we’ve only got a voicemail if anyone can help us we would appreciate it
Great post! Have nice day ! 🙂 mnptp
No one is coming into my house without a warrant; that is my right. Just like the CPI doesn’t know me – I don’t know them and would never willingly allow them in my home. It is your right to not give consent – no warrant, no entry. End of discussion.
Lauren,
Agreed. However, with many case workers overstepping their boundaries, and parent ignorant of their rights, some horrific things have taken place. You know your rights, I hope you also have a legal advisor available if ever needed and that you remember point number one: 1. THE KEY: Be polite & SAY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. We shouldn’t have to prove our innocence, but in this crazy world we live in where anyone can make an allegation against us, understanding the system will help us protect our children. Thanks for your comment.
Becky Hastings
Journeyboost
My children missed 4 days of school and truancy officer called social services and police officers because I did not answer the door I was awoken bye them in my house and told my house wasn’t cleaned up good enough and took my kids out of the home I took a drug test and passed but they are trying to make it appear that I’m doing something wrong never asked once if they could stay in my house
Who do you contact if you are not a homeschooler?
Sorry, I just found your link to Parental Rights.org…thank you. I am a Christian but no longer homeschooling.
Pingback: {bits & pieces} ~ Like Mother Like Daughter
I have been mortified by some of the comments on here so let me Begin by saying I am not subscribing to any follow-up comments nor will I respond to anything you write back to me. The only thing that I want to tell some of you that are defending CPS is how in the world, if they are not correct, are there so many people complaining about how they handle their case. Join some of the groups on Facebook and you will be mortified by how CPS did these families and children.. not everyone can be lying when it is thousands and thousands of parents and grandparents complaining about CPS. All these people cannot be lying so there has to be some corruption going on in CPS. I have never had my children taken by CPS but I know of two cases who have and I was mortified by both cases. In one case a girl could not pay her gas bill for the winter and electric heaters in the bedrooms was not good enough for CPS. They would rather take a 3 week old baby and put it in a foster home and pay the foster parent $300 a month rather than paying the parents $150 gas bill. In another case that we have seen, a grandmother had been raising her three grandchildren for almost 10 years. The mother and father were both drug addicts and the children were taken because the mother was caught with meth. A year-and-a-half later and only after the children had been separated from each other in different homes and one of the little girls had been raped in a foster home, the same grandmother got the children back. You explain to me how they can find that woman unfit because of her income and age and when she had been taking care of these children all their life and then all of a sudden a year-and-a-half later she’s fit enough to get them back with the same income and at the same age. It didn’t make any sense to ask why they took the children in the first place. The child who was raped has all kinds of problems. Now if that’s not corruption in the CPS system I don’t know what is!
Pingback: The Tetanus PUSH | Journey Boost
I hope I can show “Josue” all he said cps can’t do they do to me and all he said they need to do NEVER do to me. They destroy my family. Right now 4:45 am and I’m here writing because I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. My case is not child abuse. I lost hope. I can’t anymore. Just one think ok just one so you can see how my case is.
Judge asked CPS worker, what is the problem with (My 10 yrs girl) .
She answers ‘well the problem w her is
SHE IS TOO ATTACHED AND CLOSE TO THE PARENTS …..OK
The problem w my 15 yrs boy,
Well the grate in mat go low,…..
Better I stop because I feel more guilty and depress for let them take my kids, my hope, my life
Sorry
Oh my goodness! I hope by now you were able to get your children back.
Honey, the second I read court and PENNSYLVANIA, I couldn’t agree more. The courts pick a side, which is never for us little tax paying people, no matter the gigantic mounds of evidence we have. like i said, we the little people, have no rights or a leg to stand on. PENNSYLVANIA court system is BEYOND BROKEN. As far as CPS, CYF or whatever they’re calling themselves this month, NO THEY DO NOT GET PROSECUTED FOR THE HORRIBLE, HEART BREAKING, FAMILY DESTROYED MISTAKES. your post was in April 2016. Google : news stories on cyf mistakes now. The latest, young teenager almost killed by parents after CYF ignored/disregaurded 27 calls for abuse. And that’s just 1 story. Google the disgusting, horrible mistakes CYF has made and their excuses are they’re understaffed. “27 CALLS ” inexcusable. …..
Acs-Cps and Andrea ?Avent?prior to her, Nadine?Cenord, have assisted in harassing my family and I and abusing/raping our lives thanks to Alexander?Simmons.??? My mother and I have had several times of him making false reports to Acs on us and yet he roams free after hacking, hijacking, mail tampering, fraud, breaking and entering… Having been the one to hit a child in front of another child in the nose to be exact, etc… I could go on but they treat him like Gold and try to push him seeing my boys who he is not related to. My Acs worker strip searches my kids and my home which now we are not living alone since we had to move, by the way Acs of ny will destroy your life, career, home, family and protect the abusive ??☠️ Who pick on your family and your life. They are abusers who enable and protect abusers. Fusionministries@minister.com or 862-227-8589 and P. O. Box 21069 New York, New York, 10023. I can not afford an attorney but need one. I want to help others as well… I am considering law school since the world needs some attorneys and judges who will fight for what’s truly right against Acs abuse. I need help, I need a parent advocate as well.
I am so sorry to hear of this long drawn out experience you are having. I pray you will find answers. This is a talk by Allison Folmar which you might find helpful. Her main thrust is that parents absolutely must KNOW their rights.
Winning the Legal Battle – Allison Folmar, JD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwyDpl4NoVE
Children illegally seized & drugged: Attorney Allison Folmar Fights for Parents’ Rights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz7CJ1bYioM
“Need Legal Help?
ParentalRights.org is a 501(c)4 non-profit political lobbying organization whose goal is to protect children by empowering parents through passage of the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We do not provide legal help, nor do we have lawyers on staff.
However, we know some folks who do.
So if you are in need of legal assistance with your parental rights case, simply email info@parentalrights.org and ask for the list of legal organizations who might be able to help you.
We want to see all fit parents’ rights protected, and we wish you the best as you defend yours. We simply are not equipped to fuel your short-term battle, but we are fighting on your behalf to reach the long-term solution.” http://www.parentalrights.org/index.asp?SEC=BA469634-08FA-416B-980B-293E665F44FD&Type=B_BASIC
What if i have proof of a young mother saying she felt like hurting her kids because she was mad at the mother n saying to me that the mother didnt care wen her and the older sister got raped and the youngest daughter has intensions of suicidal as a witness ive seen the mother helping the girls boyfriend to hit her own daughter n yet shes taking care 2 young children
Hi Gilbert
I don’t entirely understand the specifics of your question. For most people, whenever we know about children who are experiencing on-going abuse and harm, our natural desire is to help. The basic question we all have to ask is ‘How can I best help in this situation?’ Perhaps building a relationship with the family and figuring out ways to help personally can be one option. Other times we might feel we need outside help. Studies show that the best place for a child is with their parents. Parents need help and support. When we report children to a government agency we have no idea what the outcome will be.
These types of situations are not easy and require a great deal of wisdom. Prayer and seeking God’s direction is important when we are faced with such complicated issues.
Becky
I was in a fatality December 5 2015. My husband was killed and my son is now bed ridden severely brain damaged, can’t walk talk nothing on his own. It was proven not my fault and toxicology reports were clearly clean. Now pre accident my husband and his ex girlfriend were at custody battle for his baby. She shot up methaphanimines whole pregnancy, and continued. When we picked baby up there were drugs and syringes in carseat, baby was constantly throwing up and dirty so we had to call Cps for his safety and as his father my husband was irate . We didn’t deny calling one bit and Cps finally went out there and all 3 of her children failed for methaphanimines. Baby then her 6 and 9 year old. She threatened me to call Cps and make sure they find stuff around my home and to where we would fail a drug test.. sadly we were in car accident couple months later that took my husband’s life ,I was in a coma fighting along with my son who is 11. Now while i was in coma this girl filed a wrongful death case as his wife . Which she has help from his aunt and grandmother that he had no relationship with. She lost all rights to her son and next day Cps is at my door with random allegations with no evidence nor a past history telling me my life and what im.doing when it’s just retaliation. Never had any problems and now 7 months later right before court and she loses her son, Cps is now investigating me. I have enough going on to add this craziness. And state of Texas Cps is the worst!!! They are not here to help you,they are at your door because in their minds you are guilty. Soon as you comply to their demands they will use it against you and now they have an ongoing investigation. If there is no supporting evidence no any past history of behaviour problems ,drug abuse ,neglect or child abuse in general and clearly kids aren’t in any kind of harm, they have nothing only hearsay. Tho I have nothing to hide,I don’t feel it’s necessary for them to harass my family over what clearly is revenge . Besides what are they going to do with my son when they are not authorized to care for him not equipped for his condition now. If for some reason he was to be removed hed literally die and never fight for recovery. That would be endangering a child. No matter what Cps tells you ,it’s irrelevant. There are real people abusing their children neglecting and so forth that actually either get their children back or never have Cps in their lives tho they’ve been reported several times. For each child they have adopted they do receive a pretty sum of a bonus. As a mother , who has struggled and suffered tragic losses as is, I will continue to fight against Cps and stand up for those who are victims and were fooled and so forth. I may not know what I’m fully in for but I know my rights as a mother .
Jessica
I am sorry for the pain and sorrow you have experienced. I pray for swift justice for you and for strength and wisdom as you care for your son. You are a hero warrior for him.
Becky
So let me get this straight. You are being investigated because someone called a concern in. No one has taken your child. You are angry with CPS for doing their job and investigating even though they did not call the concern in and have not taken your child. You are not going to cooperate with CPS because you think they are being jerks for doing their job. CPS does not get a bonus for adopting children out. That is ridiculous. The rest of what you have to say is What ifs and assumptions. Nothing has happened to you at the hands of CPS other than that they are investigating because someone made allegations against you. CPS did not make allegations against you, why is that their fault?
what you have stated is false I have and to kids and both got cps in involved because case workers at the hospital made some lame excuses and they where cps works to boot so yeah cps workers will make case against you in the first place but its cool its their job right.
No CPS was not doing their job! The lady was rude and had all these made up random allegations against me and kept trying to twist shit around. When the report was sent to me it was accusing me of negligence to only my son, when clearly that was false. I have gone health care, physical therapy, all his meds equipment etc… And and if I was doing this and such a bad parent and CPS actually was doing their job, why weren’t they concerned about my daughter? And the idiots who called on me were ones I was fighting in court which obviously was a conflict and was a low blow.. either way because of their ignorance the case ended up closed because I stood up for my parental rights…CPS was uncalled for. Now had it been when our wreck happened understandable, but no, it was 8 months after knowing taking my son would kill him….
The reports were unfounded yet for over a year they keep dragging me into court, they steal my time with unnecessary things to do usually daily making it impossible to keep my income and jobs. These are the same people who had me marked as non compliant for calling and telling my therapist office I could not be there for that day because all week I was going to be in the hospital and I was pregnant with bad infections including strep in my kidneys and preeclampsia. it was a complicated and rough pregnancy… Of course my son was born on the day I’m supposed to go from Bensonhurst Brooklyn to Harlem New York for therapy… Kings county I was told by Acs, the court attorney for the judge, and my former attorney the Acs rump kisser said being in the hospital is no excuse for missing therapy:/. Yeah… So meanwhile they have taken away my right and freedoms. I can’t home school now. I can’t leave NYC. I can’t work with kids since all this stays on my record and they have been dragging this out and dragging my family and I through hell. Acs has made very sure to mess me over since even though the reports were unfounded, I took the Acs word but they lied saying ‘oh there’s no down side and no draw backs. It just means 6 mo and then the case is over’… LIARS! I do my job as a mom they extend and do everything to try and break me and rip my family to shreds, ignoring experts and facts. Anyone saying good things about me is taken out of the case.
A worker: No one is coming into my house without a warrant; that is my right. Just like the CPI doesn’t know me – I don’t know them and would never willingly allow them in my home. No warrant, no entry. End of discussion.
Lauren
It is also beneficial to know that case workers are allowed access to children during school, where the administration will allow them to meet privately with a child. It is hard to know exactly how to coach our children in preparation for this potentiality. I pray it will won’t be happening to innocent parents.
Becky Hastings
Journeyboost.com
Cps took my sisters kids. Their allegations are bogus. A year later they still have them. They’re supposed to work toward reuniting them but the case worker is biased and refuses to do her job. My sister needs help.
Are you crazy?! This advice is horrible! No CPI wants to take your child. NONE OF THEM. Evidence IS REQUIRED. Absolutely do whatever you think is best for your family. Just know that they need to visually see your children and get a photo, not because they are trying to get you, but because they have to show that your child is ok. There have been cases where parents did not show CPI the child and then later it was discovered that the child was dead. You cannot imagine the anguish of thinking that you may have left a child to die. CPI does not know you. They cannot take your word that the child is fine. Apart from that, do as you feel is best. And you do not have to ask permission to record. CPI doesn’t mind and neither does law enforcement. They also provide a pamphlet explaining your rights and they provide their contact information, main office phone number, and their supervisor’s contact information.
You have to realize there are good people and bad people in this world! Just as there are good and bad case workers for CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES. (CPS) . I have seen it all; from babies sent home from the hospital with drug addict parents, because they are on Methadone; seriously???? And I have seen a child taken away because he left his jacket on the playground before school and the teacher reported, “child neglected do to no jacket on cold winter day”. I have seen on more than one occasion case workers thinking they are “God”. It sometimes seems as though the “good” parents loose their children for the most assinine reasons and the true child abusers some how keep theirs for punching bags until they kill them.
Dear DB
Exactly. Most of the ‘good’ people have a hard time understanding the reality of the ‘bad’ people. The point of this blog is to inform people in advance before they have these encounters. Thank you for your comment.
Becky Hastings
Journey boost.
what do I do when the judge never let me speak at the first hearing? Not only that 2 weeks before the judge said she was leaving my kids in protective custody SRS had just unsubstantiated the reasons they were put in protective custody. the cop who assumed my kids needed to be taken is related to the judge, Kvc won’t let me meet them anywhere to us and they keep lying to the attorney so I don’t want them at my house I haven’t seen my babies since November 7 they took and separated my kids and we can’t talk to them. what do I do. my attorney is court appointed and hasn’t done anything and they keep changing every thing. I had signed temp custody over to my dad their grandpa in March and they still won’t listen. what should I do?
Margaret
I do not have experience or expertise to answer your questions. I pray you will find the answers and help you need. You need someone experienced with family court matters on your side. http://www.parentalrights.org is an organization fighting for parental rights, but I do not know if they can help locate some legal help for you.
Becky
This is exactly what happened to me. Teacher reported me 3x. Once because my child was dressed too warm for the weather (sweater which she removed if too warm), once for dressing her in a sweater on a mild winter day, and last time was because her book bag smelled like urine (our new puppy peed on her bag). I was polite each time, and my daughter was at school. She undressed my toddler & baby to check for bruises (none), and looked around our home (fridge, bedrooms). The last time she apologized and CPS gave the teacher a warning that if she continued harassing us, they would take legal action against her for filing false reports. I do get panic attacks about CPS, even though I truly believe the vast majority want to protect kids from abuse. Their hearts are in the right place. I would record the visit and get my lawyer on the phone if it happened again. I have nothing to hide or prove, and a warrant isn’t something I’d insist on. I’d ask but then let them in. You want to cooperate so the investigation is closed ASAP. I never had a case open after the initial visit. My kids aren’t afraid because they aren’t hit.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am glad your case was quickly closed. Many innocent parents have not been so fortunate. I agree, most of the caseworkers may have good motives, but the entire agency is geared toward finding more children to get into foster care so they can then get them adopted. The system is sick. Good caseworkers and volunteers are often pushed out because they don’t contribute to the agenda. It does vary widely from place to place, but the financial incentive on the part of the state is strong motivation for treating children as a commodity, and the parents as a hurdle to overcome. Supporting families does not always seem to be their highest priority. Again, I am so glad you had a good outcome.
Becky Hastings
Journeyboost.com
Worker sounds like one of the CPS kidnappers.
I was reported to the CPS and I made the mistake of allowing the police (and later the CPS) into my home and they treated me like a criminal. The case ended up being dismissed, but I had been threatened, humiliated and stressed out something horrible. NEVER AGAIN is any government representative allowed into my home without a warrant. I learned the hard way, even if they did manipulate and scare me into it.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Most of us have no idea how those in authority have sometimes abused their authority without any cause.
And these family members are ones my kids don’t visit all the time. They are 6 & 7. Also upset and nervous.
I am currently going through a cyf case where I am not the abuser but was told I would still need to be investigated.
I’ve been very skeptical from the door. My son visited a family member of his father’s and his uncle called him down to eat. While his aunt was hugging him. Actually made him hug her he said hi already and she grabbed him up to hug her playfully but forced.
And the uncle came and punched him 2 times in the arm. My son was upset and the mother and son sat down and talked to him. He was fine while there but once he came home he was very upset. I got him to calm down and be ok. The next day he goes to school and I guess he got upset again and told his teacher his uncle punched him in the arm.
The teacher sends him to the nurse, then the office. Cyf gets called, my son is questioned and photographed. That’s same day I received a letter from the worker stating for me to give him a call for concerns for my son.
I call and he asks if I knew what happened I said yes and explained. He said basically it was means for investigation. I asked this man several times if it was necessary for me to be questioned about anything or have a meeting because I am not the one who abused him. He said yes.
He was due to come, was a little late and my kids were on their scooters and bike as I stilled my 9 month old daughter he pulls up. I let him in my home nervous and feeling violated. He introduced himself. And explained what was going on and what would go on. I was told because I have a daughter under the age of 1 that I have to do mandatory 90 days of once a week visits. I asked him if there was any way I can appeal the decisions. He said no.
I asked if it was necessary for all the visits and time frame for something I had not done. Not had control over. He said no there’s nothing I can do. I’m feeling really helpless. My kids have their own rooms. Air conditioners in their rooms and beds. My daughter has a crib. He asked me questions I answered. Asked my 6 yr old daughter questions about me how she’s disappointed. Took pictures of both my daughter. Walked around my home. And left.
He was to return the next week for another interview. At this point I’m very upset. I feel really violated and helpless. Especially for my children because something does not feel right.
He comes and literally says he just has to make sure the baby has a crib which he knew the week before he did not see it the first time and went up a second time to make sure it was there. Came back a week later to check on her and the crib. And left. Literally walked in my house. With permission. Walked upstairs and walked back out with no following date for a visit stated.
I’ve been reading and everything I can for the parents or people actually accused of the abuse. None for a parent whom was not caused. Nowhere am I finding for the state of Pa where it says bc I have a child under the age of 1 that I have to be investigated and visited for 90 days. So I am frightened. I need some form of advice. I fear the things I have told him will keep this going. I was an abuse cyf victim myself when I was young. I feel fooled. And it’s taking a toll on me I can’t sleep I’m anxious. And nervous. Worried their going to question my kids in school because they are now scared. And I need to know if I can be helped.
Hi Diamond
It sounds as if you have been unjustly traumatized by the system set up to protect children. The fear and anxiety you are feeling are not helping you. I would urge you to keep a written record of everything that has happened. Record every incident that may happen in the future. Explain calmly to your children in school that people may come to ask them questions and that they are free to say “I don’t really want to talk to you without my mom here.” You are not forcing them to say that, but it is their choice and you are informing them that it is their right. You may want to contact an attorney familiar with family law or check out http://www.parentalrights.org. Your best defense is to be fully informed of your rights. Some pointers for future interactions: Be courteous. Never show them your fear. Be firm. They cannot enter your home without your permission. If they have a search warrant to enter your home, it must be very specific about where in the home they can search. Record everything. Maintain your privacy. Do not offer information (on your own personal history, etc). You do NOT have to submit to their visits. You have a right to privacy. You have a legal right to a jury trial if there is any allegation or cause. The burden of proof is on them to show proof. They will harass you to comply with all manner of things, you do NOT have to comply with them. It is not against the law or in any way a crime to not speak to CPS. I pray you will find strength and wisdom in this battle. I believe when we call on the name of Jesus he hears us and helps us in our time of trouble.
Becky
To ask for legal help:
ParentalRights.org is a 501(c)4 non-profit political lobbying organization whose goal is to protect children by empowering parents through passage of the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We do not provide legal help, nor do we have lawyers on staff.
However, we know some folks who do.
So if you are in need of legal assistance with your parental rights case, simply email info@parentalrights.org and ask for the list of legal organizations who might be able to help you.
We want to see all fit parents’ rights protected, and we wish you the best as you defend yours. We simply are not equipped to fuel your short-term battle, but we are fighting on your behalf to reach the long-term solution.
Thank you for your work.
Sincerely,
Nancy Fox
Please sign this petition and pass it on. Thank you
http://www.petition2congress.com/14564/family-court-child-protective-services-needs-to-stop-violating-pe/?m=
My question is if a child lives in a hoarding home and the mother will not take care of the child or her self and the husband work’s and he’s the one that has family help him because she’s will not do nothing can a grandparent call CPS and get full rights to take the child to give the child a better life.
Hi Roy
I don’t claim to have all the answers. CPS can be unpredictable. Anytime we call in the “state authorities” to help fix our problems we seem to relinquish some of our freedom. I would suggest trying to arrange a meeting with your children to discuss the situation and come up with solutions. Sometimes “better life” is a debatable concept. If a child is forced into foster care, it is rarely better.
I pray you will have wisdom to navigate this challenge. Having a caring grandparent is a wonderful gift for any child.
Becky
Hello,I really wish I had seen this before now. I was a parent that thought Cps would never be after me mainly due to my sisters children have been removed from her care and placed in mine many rimes over the years I’m Michigan and my husband and I r great parents. We moved to California about a year and a half ago and fell on very hard times due to my health and no longer being able to work myself and we became homeless. I started getting help from a local church and a women there for what ever reason we still do not understand made a report against my husband and I stating that I threw my then 10 month old on the cement ground and busted her head open that we starved all of our children we have four ages 15,10,7,& now almost a year old and abuse them sexualy as well. Cps came to where we were staying at 2am and made us wake our kids up and let them see them and talk to each of them alone I did not know we had ANY rights to say no they seen that my kids r fine no injuries at all and very well fed and taken care of said that they knew the report was false BUT still kept the case open and it is still open now my children are scared to death to even get a bump in the knee cuz they think they will be taken from us and to be honest so are my husband and I. They won’t even let us leave the state now when we have found better work back home in Michigan and have a lot of family their that will help us as well. So we are stuck here having not much of anything when we could go home and be great again but they say I have no rights to even leave the state for a year and a half. They have even deemed us fit parent so I just don’t undestand. This is so very wrong and we do not deserve this but we can not afford a lawyer so we are just stuck and scared every second of every day. This is not Right!!!
Are you kidding me, you can leave, unless you have a court order not too. Just leave and say nothing to them
One has come to my door because of my depression. I lost my mother less than a year ago and yes i do get depressed. I was talking to a friend of mine of 8 years and instead of her calling me she called my childs preschool teacher and she reported it. Any way, they came to my door My husband, myself, and our 4 year old answered the door. they did not come in. They said that they would come back and interview my 14 year old son and home inspection. I have been reading about my rights but, he hasn’t come back or called. What does that mean? I do not want to call and open Pandoras box.
Hi Marie
It sounds like you are experiencing normal emotions related to life. It also sounds like you are doing the right thing in preparing yourself for what may come, and informing yourself of your rights. I would encourage you to continue to protect yourself and your children by being very polite. You may also want to discuss the potential interview with your 14 yo son. They can interview him at school without your knowledge. You can teach him to also be extremely polite, but he can decline to be interviewed if he wants. They sometimes take information provided by children and twist it, but sometimes it is fine. It truly depends on the case worker. I would think they need a very specific concern in order to require an inspection of your home. I don’t know if you should agree to one. You may want to get some legal advice. I pray you will be protected from any harm, and that you will find encouragement in your depression. I’m sure you may also be feeling betrayed by a friend, which is not a pleasant emotion to add to the mix you already had. I find the Bible and my relationship with Jesus truly lifts me and leads me to truth that blesses me.
Becky
Well, I spoke too soon. Just got a visit with him a few minutes. He tried to tell me that the interview with my son is suppose to be private and I said he is a minor and anything you want to say that he can say in front of me. To be sure that he didn’t think i was coaching my son I paid attention to my 4 year old. So he talked to my son asked how I was doing. Which is mother nature time so I am a little tired. Then he asked me again to inspect my home and he said he already knew the answer before he asked. I just shook my head. I don’t want to be rude I know they are doing their job. But Also my kids are my world , now I do not know what is going to happen. Could they come back. I just do not know what to do.
Here are some resources from the Parental Rights Association on legal help.
It sounds like you are handling this well. They do not have a solid case. You have privacy rights according to the 14th amendment. Look up the amendment so you know what it says. You don’t have to answer all their questions or allow them to inspect your home unless they have a specific reason for concern for extremely serious child abuse. The burden is on the state to show that there is extremely egregious harm. You don’t have to comply with them. It is not illegal not to speak to CPS. But if you do speak to them, be extremely polite. Perhaps repeating your 14th amendment rights several times.
Here is the link http://www.parentalrightsfoundation.org/index.asp?SEC={DECE3832-014F-4308-85C9-7BE9EAD3A846}
@becky. I find it encouraging that you promote prayer and the Bible. There is no greater power than that of God’s. These horrible things happening to families are certainly demonic because how much easier is it to destroy faith in the creator of families than to divide them. You give wonderful advice both secular and theocratic. Keep up the good work!
Hey Terrie
Yes, in these crazy times, we need to keep close to Jesus, find ways to build our faith, prioritize His word, and help others to know and understand truth. We need God’s protection in so many different areas – and His is faithful! I appreciate that you took the time to comment!
Becky
@Josue
on February 13, 2016 at 11:46 pm said: “They have to go to a courthouse to request removal. There is a legal process and proof has to be presented that the kids cannot be kept in their home safely before a removal peer is granted. ”
It is quite apparent, that you’re one ignorant omniscient. It is called “GPS” – general protection services. CPS can most certainly remove child immediately under the GPS label; they obtain an emergency court order to do so. This affords them the time to conduct a full investigation, which must be complete within 30 days, if not complete, they must file for an extension with childline for another 30 days. They do NOT have to show a judge proof of anything, the allegations or conditions are what is in question, for said investigation to commence in order for risk assessment to take place..
CPS cases differ from GPS cases
Two-Track Services
Two tracks of child welfare services exist in Pennsylvania: Child Protective Services (CPS) and General Protective Services (GPS). CPS refers to those referrals to the statewide child abuse hotline, ChildLine, that are registered as suspected child abuse. To be registered as suspected child abuse, referrals must contain allegations of incidents that meet the definition of child abuse. All other referrals that do not allege suspected child abuse but still present concerns for a child’s safety or well-being are considered GPS.
Child protective services are implemented when there is reasonable cause to suspect child abuse and the need for an investigation. Emergency medical services and out-of-home placement are provided when necessary for high-risk situations. CPS is contacted when at least one type of child abuse is suspected: physical, mental, sexual, or neglect. This type of response is often referred to as a traditional response. General protective services are offered when there is concern about something in the home or for non-abuse cases that require support and services to prevent harm to the child. Examples include poor hygiene, inappropriate discipline, inadequate supervision, truancy, and inadequate shelter or clothing. There is no investigation component to this response. GPS protects the welfare and safety of children by offering assistance to parents in fulfilling their parental duties and by helping them to recognize and correct potentially harmful conditions. This type of response may also be called an alternative response. In these particular situations CPS can remove a child for their safety by obtaining an emergency court order, and the removal is “pending” the outcome of the investigation, as ‘re-unification’ is supposed to be the ultimate goal. Removal: Time frame determined by the level of risk and imminent danger. Can be reassigned to CPS if situation is found to meet the definition of child abuse. County agency personnel must respond immediately if the child was placed in emergency protective custody, or if emergency placement is needed or may be needed but cannot be determined by the report Entire assessment must be completed in 60 days. Assessment will not generate the name of a perpetrator to be listed in the ChildLine registry.
Question I have trouble with cps a lot and so sick of them I want to stop them from entering my home but i can I stop them from entering my home and not cause my children trauma
When my son was young, I once had CPS investigate because a former worker at his day care reported me for neglect because his clothes were “dirty”.
They talked to me on the phone and never came to the house. It was closed as unfounded.
However, there was a time my son had a dry cough and even though the PA said it was probably a virus she was going to give me a prescription for antibiotics. I refused them and lectured her. They noted the refusal in his chart, but thankfully, no visit from CPS.
I am in the middle with this. I had a complaint filed against me from my stepson. The reason he filed was because he wanted to move back with the very grandma we removed him from because she, we have definitive proof, would hit him with pots and pans whenever he was misbehaving. Instead of feeding him actual meals, she would allow him to gorge on junk food the entire day at his own leisure. When I married my husband, I saw first hand what was going on and we flew him from Hawaii to where we lived. Well, she had a history of already calling cps or whatever name they were allocated in states of her family members when she became angry with them. Without our permission she remained in contact with my stepson. One of the days I was at work, he was playing outside with my younger two sons. He fell on his skateboard and it resulted in some scraping and bruises. Apparently there were numerous neighbors and their children out as well that also validated this version of events. The next day I took him to a doctor and had him checked to confirm that he had no serious injuries. He was cleared that day. Approximately three days later, a CPS lady showed up at our door and stated that my stepson was at the police department, he was supposed to be in school since I had dropped him off there myself, and was allowing himself to be photographed. He made statements that I had beat him for no reason and claimed the scratches and bruises were a result of it. To make matters worse, he listed my two younger sons as witnesses. They were only 8 and 9 at the time. Due to his statements and pictures, I was arrested on the spot for domestic violence. I was released the next day, and we immediately placed the stepson in a friend’s house to prevent any further allegations. Contacted a lawyer that cost $8000.00 up front. The CPS came to my house and had to conduct recurring interviews with the younger children. I will say the lady was absolutely respectful the entire time. However, when they went to court they refused to acknowledge that there were previous numerous false allegations made by the grandma whose name was plastered all over the paperwork. My lawyer was able to get statements from every witness that had been present that day, and unfortunately from my younger two sons who were drug into the situation. Once the case went to court, we had already moved the stepson back to the gramma, which was a decision made by his father, not me. Due to both getting what they initially wanted, they then refused any further contact with the courts or CPS. My husband was also able to get a recording of a phone conversation with the son, in which he stated I was never abusive to him, always treated him like my own son and that he regretted everything he did. The recording with his mother was not as nice. She basically told him that as long as he was still married to me, she would continue to harass us anyway she could and that CPS was her easiest route since she was out of state. My lawyer used all of the statements and the recordings to eventually get the case dropped. Unfortunately the damage was already done.
I would like to say that it ended with this, but that is not the case. We decided to move and would not give her the address. She eventually figured it out and called in complaints on three more occasions. Those three occasions resulted in very rude individuals showing up over some extremely ridiculous claims. The first one was that my two sons were forced to sleep in the garage every night, this being ridiculous because we didn’t even have a garage. The next was that our children were being allowed to skip school continuously, which could have been discredited had a simple phone call been made to the school. The last time was when she claimed we broke our son’s leg. This was discredited by a video at his own birthday party where he decided to do a cartwheel and fell on the leg wrong. He was taken to the hospital within minutes of the incident. The biggest issue was that in all three cases the CPS were very intrusive and rude, instead of doing the obvious investigating prior to even questioning us. Basically, I think it depends on the social worker and where they are based out of.
Debra
Thanks for sharing your story, or rather your ordeal. I think your conclusion that it depends on the individual case worker is extremely valid. Thank you for sharing so that other’s may gain wisdom.
Becky
Im glad this is coming to light. I am in the Law enforecement field for 23 years. I have witnessed CPS overstep and violate rights on several occasions!!
What do you do when this happens?
On March 18, 2015 Allyson arrived with another worker named Kate and 2 officers as well as the document below in her hand stating that it was a legal search warrant. There is no search warrant number, it’s not date stamped, no case number, not filed with the court, her declaration was not attached as it was stated that it was in the paperwork, and there was no typed judge’s name under the judge’s signature. The officers told us that we had a choice of which door that they came through, the front door or the back gate.We allowed them in under duress. Not only did they check my son’s room where the baby stays. They also looked in every other bedroom that the baby has no access to, as well as the attic, the workshop, the yard, etc.. The baby is only 7 months old. It was a gross intrusion of our home and privacy. Before leaving, Allyson verbally gave us a brief list of her concerns and said that she would be back on Friday to check my son Peter’s room and the baby.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.883572698425999.1073741861.100003198322432&type=1&l=8bd7956161
Marlene
I hope there is someone who reads this comment who will know how to help you. It sounds like you navigated the situation as best as you could at the time. I totally understand the feeling of violation you must have felt. I recommend contacting someone with legal experience in family law to help you navigate any future encounters. This is why I wrote this blog – to give people information on two organizations offering legal support especially for homeschooling families and families that might face medical kidnap. Unfortunately this type of over-stepping by government agencies in some locations seems to be increasing. I pray you will find the wisdom and help you need. Has your case been resolved?
Becky
This is shared once a month on my FB page. Thank you!!
Anthony
Thank you for letting me know. I am glad you and many others are finding this information useful.
Becky
A social worker shared this with me:
As a social worker I would like to say something about other social workers who threaten to report their clients to CPS because they don’t vaccinate. We are mandated reporters and yes, we have to report suspected abuse or neglect. And yes, lack of proper medical attention is neglect. But vaccinations do not fall under this. I’ve spoken to several of my colleagues and they said as long as parents have an exemption for school there is nothing to worry about. Social workers are supposed to respect informed consent and client self determination despite their personal biases. The social workers who do report are wasting precious resources that could be helping other families in need. Also the NASW does not have a stance on vaccinations.
https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
i had cps called on me by my boyfriends childs mother, the things she said are all false but the mother has coached her daughter into lieing a makeing up things that didnt happen, like me and my bf fight and hit eachother also that we didnt have food or heat. i didnt know any of this rules so i did let them in my house and showed them that i had food and heat and they wanted to see our children’s room they also interview my 4 year old at school. now im alittle worried because the mother is very manipulative of her child in fact she has coached this child to lie for her when i was forced to call cps on her about 3 years ago she brain washed her so much that this child dosent know whats right or wrong. what can i do to prove im not being abused and to prevent my 4 year being removed from my home
Hi Angelica
I don’t have all the answers. I do know that it is never desirable to live in fear. If you are doing the right things, be truthful and polite. Don’t get angry and don’t say bad things about other people. You will gain a good reputation. I find the book of Proverbs in the Bible has a lot of wisdom in dealing with relationships. It can be confusing sometimes, but I believe if we seek God He will make our way clear. I pray you will have wisdom in any contact you have with CPS. If you continue to show love and respect to others and do the right thing, you will be able to live in peace with yourself.
Becky
If they leave a note do I have to call them
Hi Veronica
My hunch is that it would be in your best interests to phone them back. Be polite and prepared to find out what the nature of their questions are. You may want to first discuss your situation with a friend or legal advisor. You may also like to record the phone call so that you have a record of what they say. Most inquiry cases are dismissed. CPS is charged with the protection of children and must investigate all incidents that are reported to them. Stay calm and respectful and if you are looking after your children well, you should have no problems. If you know you have a family member with some malice towards you, discussing your options with someone familiar with the law in your area could be helpful.
Becky
Hi
As a Child Protection Social Worker, I can certainly understand why some people have a poor opinion of this service. And I agree that there are certainly some “bad apples” in every crowd and that the system is far from perfect. It is sadly and completely understaffed, underfunded, and poorly understood–not only by the families we serve but more by the government and other agencies we work with. But I also know it to be true that there are people giving their heart and soul in this profession, who do so much to protect children. My heart has broken every time a child has had to be removed. I have cried more tears over children I cannot seem to help. My motivation and entire job satisfaction is based around the times when I make a difference, either by improving a home or when I get to send a child home. I have only removed a child from their parents when all other options have failed. I put in about 70 hours a week, some of it on my own time. If I had a dollar for every hour I spent laying awake at night, worrying about the children I am devoted to helping, I’d be a rich woman.
I am not mean, heartless, or uncaring. I have never yelled, swore at, belittled, or been cruel to any parent I’ve worked with (although, in all fairness, I’m sure it has felt that way to some). In my fifteen years of practice, I have maintained positive working relationships with most of my clients–many parents and children have called me up asking for advice long after I’ve closed their files. I’ve gotten hugs in the grocery stores, Christmas cards in the mail, friend requests on Facebook (that I professionally and ethically am unable to accept)–all from people who have appreciated and benefited from the work I do. Are all social workers like me? No. Not at all. Are there many people working in this profession who are burnt out and at the end of their rope, or just not suited to the job? Absolutely. If I could get rid of each and every one of them, I would. They ruin it for everyone, workers and clients alike. But are there good ones out there? One hundred percent.
Most people are surprised to know that of all the child abuse reports I look into, about 80% turn out to be nothing–a misunderstanding from the person reporting, mostly. Another 15% are low-end concerns that are resolved quickly and easily–a bit of information, connection to resources, or just an opportunity to talk about some parenting challenges. Of the remaining 5% of cases where substantiated child abuse occurs, most are addressed with the child in the home. Only a small number ever leave the home. And for the hundreds of families I’ve worked with, I’ve never met a parent, regardless of the level of abuse in the home, who hasn’t loved their child. Parenting is hard. Life is hard.
I do agree with some of your advice. Be polite–yelling and screaming does not speed up the process, I promise! And yes, always ask for Identification and an explanation of the concerns, as well as the laws that give the authority to be involved–if the worker won’t tell you, go higher. You have a right to know! And always feel free to seek legal advice–this is your life and you have to be an advocate for yourself. But please remember that the laws and legislation are different in each area. For instance, where I work, no warrants are required. Also, what is and isn’t considered abuse varies from state to state, province to province. The quickest and easiest way to get us “out of your lives” is to be cooperative, engaged, and open. No family is perfect–we’re not interested in trying to make you perfect.
If you’re not doing anything wrong, don’t be worried if we show up at your door. We are legally obligated to investigate reports of child abuse–being reported on doesn’t mean you’re guilty, but being innocent doesn’t always mean you won’t deal with us from time to time. Help us to understand what is going on. Take a bit of free advice or information on local resources that might be helpful.
If, in fact, you are doing something wrong, let us help you fix it. Put it out on the table and let’s talk. It’s better to hear it from you than from someone else. We are there to help. If you hide it and it continues, who gets hurt? It isn’t me.
Kendra
Thanks for sharing your experience and insight. I wish every CPS worker in the USA was of a similar caliber. Thank you for the service you give to families. I am sure you are WAY underpaid.
Becky
I find this article quite disturbing and negligent. The US is plagued with incidents of child abuse (starvation, severe neglect, sexual abuse, drug abuse, child trafficking, physical abuse, death of children). Society has changed. Values have shifted. Yet you write an article to defend offenders verses protecting children. Yes, I used the word offenders because it’s very plausible that abusers will enjoy reading this. Use your bible verses to hone in on what His word says about protecting His little ones. Certainly He will also protect the parents through enduring the trials of any potentially false allegations. Can you live with yourself knowing you encouraged non-compliance when that mother who answered the door may have just been the one holding down her 3 year old child while her partner sexually violated that little innocent child? Or when a 6 year old is actually locked in the basement being starved to death when that knock occurred? A polite door closing won’t help a child that is ingesting drugs from the nightly parties occurring in their home. Children are hurt. Children are hurting. And when the world asks where was CPS- will you offer up your article? A door opening may save the life of a precious child. Demanding a warrant (not applicable in Canada) uses resources that could better be served elsewhere, but this article has little to do with the hurt children or families. Do I believe injustices/false allegations have occurred, absolutely. Do I believe the system is broken, absolutely. Do I believe what you are instructing people to do is helpful, absolutely not. Our society is broken. What can you do to actually aid instead of enable? There may have been families that experienced false allegations, but at the end of the day, those would be few and far between. The negligence of this article will intimately be at whose expense?
I appreciate your thoughtful comments. I too struggle with this issue. It seems the system is part of the corruption and abuse of children. Perhaps not in every county in every state, but often enough to be of serious concern. Not every CPS worker who comes knocking on the door has the child’s best intentions. Our society has become permeated with evil at every level. This information is not intended to aid abusers, but to warn honest good parents that CPS has become very powerful and that they should take a visit from them seriously – to protect their own children. My heart aches for every account of hurting children. My hope would be to rescue them all. Children hurt and abused under the sanction of criminal forces in the government’s own system is heinous beyond belief, yet it is known to exist. It is only when Christians awaken to what is going on and seek a more active role in the protection of children that we will aid them. Some counties do have strong Christian involvement in their child welfare systems and seek to honorably work with families and rescue children. Other counties have very different stories to tell. Darkness and coverup prevails. You might like to investigate a well documented case of criminal governmental involvement in child prostitution rings in The Franklin Scandal. http://franklinscandal.com
This is ridiculous. While all those things are awful, evidence goes to show that more than 70% of reports are deemed unfounded and those children taken for no real cause. Children have been taken over the mother smoking a joint on the weekend and ended up raped and dead with the fosters. My mother worked as a CPS worker for years and there was a man that everyone thought was just fantastic, loved taking in children, especially little boys. Turns out he spent his 15 years as a foster raping those children that were in and out of his house and not only does she attest to the fact that those children were removed over something that wasnt necessarily endangering, but that that type of thing happened more often than they would ever let the public know. You just gobbled up their narrative.
hi Nicole
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I just received information on statistics in the USA from Parental Rights which state that most children removed from their parents end up being returned – but only after experiencing extreme trauma that can result in harm throughout their life. The growing body of evidence seems conclusive that CPS harms more than it helps.
Becky
I lost my two kids nearly five years ago. My ex husband beat me to the point that I ended up in the hospital for a week. It was a horrible experience for me. My two kids were home at the time and I was told by family that they were staying with my mom while I recovered. When I got out of the hospital I went to my mom’s to pick up the kids only to find out that the night I was taken to the hospital, CPS and gone to my home and taken my kids. They had told my family that they should wait for me to recover before telling me and that once I was out of the hospital all I had to do was contact the case worker and the kids would be returned to me. I called the case worker the very same day and was told that while I was in the hospital there had been a court date and since no one had shown up, my rights (and my ex husband’s) were terminated and the kids were to be put up for adoption. I contacted lawyers and did everything I could think of and nothing worked. It will be 5 years as of February next year since I tucked my kids in that night. I haven’t seen them since then. It still kills me inside every time I think about it.
My advice to anyone that has to deal with them is don’t trust what they tell you simply because they have a government job and tell you they want “what is best for the children”. Always communicate everything with each other and just be careful. Ask for everything in writing.
Sarah
It is impossible for me to imagine your pain at losing your children. I pray the grace of God will flood your soul. I pray also that you will be given wisdom and favor and the strength to fight so that justice will be done and your will be reunited with your children through the power available through Jesus Christ. He is truly all powerful. He is on our side. I don’t know how, but I know He can.
Blessings,
Becky
I am so sorry. It is unimaginable the pain you have been through. I pray justice will be done and you will miraculously be able to connect with your children again.
Becky
Just a little frustrated at how CPS is portrayed in this article. I worked with CPS for over two years. Despite what you hear in the media, there is no way a child can be removed from their home without very strong evidence of abuse or neglect. In fact, the opposite is true. We most often had to leave children in homes where abuse was going on until there was enough evidence (i.e. Serious injury). Also, if you want to quickly get the investigation done and closed due to the fact of their being no grounds for the allegations (which was always a relief to me as well-I would much rather find that the allegation was false), the best thing to do is cooperate, answer the questions, tell your side of the story and give names of people who can back you up, and be done with it. I love children, as do most CPS workers, I was out to do my best for them and help the ones who really need it, not “out to get” the ones who came from good homes.
I worked for three different branches in two different states and they all have to abide by state laws & regulations, which are very strict. Just like with anything, it’s the very unusual, few & far between cases that get media attention and affects how the public views CPS. And there are “bad apples” that don’t represent the majority of CPS workers. I do agree that it would be a very uncomfortable and inconvenient experience to have CPS show up at my door, just trying to share a different perspective! 😉
Christy
Thanks for your viewpoint. I am so glad to hear of your positive experience in working for CPS. If you read through the comments you will find that there are a wide variety of experiences. There are fantastic CPS departments with great people working for the good of the children, yet some families have had extremely difficult encounters which were completely undeserved. People come in all varieties. The point of this post, which has resonated with far more views than I ever expected, is to inform parents so that they will take any CPS visit seriously, yet remain calm and polite. I think this will help them communicate that they are indeed reliable parents. It is natural to feel angry when someone is threatening our children, so having a warning can be a good reminder.
I think what some commenters pointed out was that the very structure of the laws and Federal funding actually rewards departments for removing children. I am certainly no expert, but believe information can help parents make wise decisions for their children. Unfortunately many good parents have been targeted by CPS, maybe not in the states where you worked, but in many states in our country.
Thanks again for your comment.
Becky
My sister has a grandson who was taken away from his parents and now they can’t handle him. They say he hurt a dog and killed it. Now I have the child. They say he threat to everyone. They are taking him to doctors therapist etc. do you think they will get him back?
As a social worker and former CPS worker, I can count on two hands how many times I removed children in the four years I was employed by family services, some of which were based on the following facts:
*Physical abuse so severe (by a mother’s drug abusing boyfriend) that a 2 year old boy had to be treated in the emergency room for a skull fracture and severe head trauma (complete with a distinct hand print on the left side of this innocent toddler’s face)
*Physical neglect of a one year old who was locked in a bedroom for many hours at a time for many days at a time, with nothing but a blanket (dad was a severe drug addict)- how could I forget this one? This little boy was malnourished, sat far too long in a filthy diaper, was hardly interacted with, and sat at the gate used to lock him in his room waiting for SOMEONE to attend to his needs, or at the very least, pay him a bit of attention.
*Unsupervised toddler who was nearly hit by a car while running around the very busy streets of his city alone, wearing nothing but a diaper, while his mother slept off her previous night’s party
*Child endangerment caused by a toddler ingesting dad’s methamphetamine, which was left on the family’s dryer
Need I go on?
Parents, HAPPY is the CPS worker who can knock on a door, interview parents and children, and find ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Happy is the CPS worker who can identify an isolated incident by parents doing their best who may need nothing more than extra support and/or resources. Because while the above reasons were completely justifiable and rightful for a child removal, post-removal a CPS worker then has to find a long term and hopefully fitting, stable placement for the already traumatized (and likely long abused) children, attend multiple extra court hearings, complete an extra *fun* pile of paperwork, all while attending to the needs of the other 15+ cases they are required to investigate within a stringent time period. Never mind the long hours, ridiculous pay, and verbal abuse endured by many well-intended CPS workers–they know that comes with the territory. They proceed anyway, with hopes that they are contributing to the safety and well being of the families AND children they are assigned to investigate.
CPS will always be heavily criticized–in the eyes of the public they are either too lax or too intrusive, remove too many children or not enough children, but from very personal experience, most CPS workers are focusing their most aggressive attention on matters that impose imminent danger on a child.
On a personal note, the faces of many of these kids with always be burned in my memory. The job was extremely difficult. As a mother of three, undoubtedly a knock on the door with CPS on the other side would be horrifying and offensive by nature. But to ignorantly suggest or imply that CPS is aiming to do nothing more than twist words and destroy families is irresponsible.
May the potentially harmful influence of this post be limited!
Noell
Thank you for your refreshing positive view of your experience in truly helping children through your work with CPS. I am so thankful that there are many dedicated CPS workers seeking to find the truth and doing the right thing under very difficult circumstances which you describe so well.
Unfortunately, many families have experienced case workers who do not operate under the same set of values which guide your life. It may be that certain states, or counties, or areas have different ideals. I do not know. I do know that many good families have had their lives disrupted at the hands of CPS, some out of negligence or ignorance, but some out of intentional ill-will towards good families.
The thrust of this post is not to protect families that are harming their children, but to prepare all families for the possibility that a CPS case worker might visit them. Thinking through how they will respond in advance is helpful. Being caught off guard and encountering a case worker less committed to the ideals you hold, and finding themselves up against a powerful system, are all the perplexing reality of too many families.
I think there is a lot of agreement that case workers have very difficult jobs. The system seems flawed in so many ways. One of the main issues is that CPS seems to have unlimited power and there are many reports of the corruption that impact the system. Many who have studied and experienced the potential for abuse in the system, such as Senator Nancy Schaefer, strongly suggested that it be overhauled. Unfortuantely for the world, her voice is no longer heard, except through her videos, like this one, where she describes some of the challenges and some possible solutions.
Becky
Journeyboost
Good to know! I’m glad that CPS is responding to situations even if there seems to be little cause for interfernce. That said, my MIL thinks that teaching my children about Santa is as bad as abuse. If she calls the cops this Christmas I’ll know my rights as a mother;)
I think it is absolutely disgusting that either earlier this year or the end of last year a complaint was made about an irate father in Florida that CPS did not investigate. 72 hours later the man through his five year old daughter off of a bridge, killing her.. CPS does let the bad get away while persecuting every scratch, bruise, injury that strolls by a 12 year old ER doctor.. CPS IS A DISGRACE.. Investigating, BS reports made by vengeful neighbors, friends, relatives etc. Then doing nothing about the claimant being a bold faced liar. I once was told after one such false claim that CPS would report the person for falsifying reports…I’D BE SHOCKED IF ANYONE GUESSED THEY DID ANYTHING…PS. They did NOTHING!!
Not all caseworkers are like that. It would be the same as saying anyone that is an alleged subject is a child abuser, unfair and completely untrue. In NYS 2/3 of all cases are unfounded and of the 1/3 that are actually indicated only 10% of those children are removed. This is a rough national average as well.
Also, many states give caseworkers the ability to see a child while in school without parents expressed consent. Some districts will sit in on the interview and advocate for the child if necessary.
In response to the suggestion of contacting legal counsel, rarely (and in my case never) has an attorney come to an interview by request of the client for an initial contact, nor has the attorney advised the client to be uncooperative (ie silent, refuse access, etc) with the investigation.
As caseworkers are just people, they come from all backgrounds and training. Many are trained counselors with professional ethical guidelines. Many are people with faith, with strong social ties to the communities they serve, with a hope that they may be able to help families even if that help comes in the form of tough love.
Encouraging people to fear the big bad wolf does not lessen the reality of the situation. Passive resistance is one thing, but being rude to someone who is trying to ensure safety and growth potential for children that are not their own is another. The sentiment that it takes a village to raise a child has been forgotten. We have checks and balances in many aspects of life, why stand against the one formed to help the most vulnerable of citizens? Mandated reporters such as schools and Drs are helping to ensure the child is being raised in a safe environment, that is why parents enlist their help in the place. More people should stand up for the rights of the children, especially when some parents and bloggers with a soap box only focus on what is comfortable for themself. MY kids MY home MY rights. Children are not objects, they are people, people that did not contribute to their present situation and THEIR rights should be held above the comfort level.
Laura
Thanks for adding your view to this discussion. I don’t think there is anything in this post that is encouraging people to be rude, passive resistant or fearful. In fact, it is encouraging people to be the opposite: prepared, polite and confident. You are 100% right in the fact that all case workers are people with a variety of backgrounds and some are very admirable people who truly want to help and have the best interests of the child and family at heart. If these type of case workers are asked in a polite way, “what are the allegations against me?” I’m sure they will have a polite respectful reply so that the parent feels confident that their child’s best interests will be addressed. The fact that some children are experiencing abuse in their homes does not make every parent reported guilty of abuse. Many children have experienced unnecessary trauma by being removed from safe loving homes for a variety of reasons. Not everyone in the system is righteous, trustworthy and looking out for the best of the children, as many of the readers and commenters on this post have found. As one commenter pointed out, in many places the system is set up so that the departments involved are rewarded financially when children are removed and they have ever increasing targets to reach in their “business goals.”
I was told if they ever came over to not let them in and ask for a warrent. It’s like everyone fears them. My son is now 13y and he still poops his pants. He has ADHD and I will not drug him. I simply believe drugging him is unnecessary. The side effects alone r not worth the small help. Anyhow he attends a public school and we r averaging 4 or so calls every school year. I have her number on speed dial, for real. That school seems to think that when I don’t bow to their every wish that calling child services is going to scare me into complying. The first visit I was terrified cause of all the horror stories I heard. She was so mean to me and the first time she gave me a threat I told her she was out of line and I asked her to leave. She told me if I make her leave she was taking my kids. I told her I want the number to her supervisor and she will require police AND a warrent. She left and within the hour I had a call from her super. I told him I am more then willing to give them whatever they need to know but I will not be threatened and I will stand my ground. I have done nothing wrong and will not stand for blatant disrespect in my own home. The following week I had a new worker and she was sent from heaven. We sat down at the table, went threw everything. She helped me find some doctors that could help son get some help, extra ins to cover doctors our ins wouldn’t cover. She got us new dressers for the kids cause theirs were handed downs and not in wonderful shape. Even brought over Christmas toys and books over Christmas break. My kids love her and I’ve even seen her around town with her wonderful family. Thing is I have nothing to hide. I want my children to understand their rights and they should never be forced into doing something they don’t want to. My case might be rare but if ur in the right, stand ur ground. Yes they r doing their job but they have no right to treat u like crap. U r ur child’s voice till they r 18y at the vary least. I’m sure I will be even after that. Innocent till proven gilty, don’t go down without a fight 🙂
CPS can speak to your children without your consent when they are at school.
I wish I would have seen this before they just came to me and I havent ssen my child since the 22nd of June
Pingback: Tattle Tales of Mommy Fails | For the Love of Repeating Myself
I wish I had known this 2 years ago. Secondly if you do find yourself in a CPS investigation beware of these things:
– even if the allegations against you are false, proven false, it will be on your record forever.
-there doesn’t have to be any evidence, they have an internal system and can “substantiate” you on it on a whim.
– get the case files when it’s closed. You will be surprised by it.
My family had CPS show up on our doorstep two years ago. Of course they couldn’t disclose who had made a report although we are pretty sure it would be the same people that took us to court the next month for a custody battle… At any rate that part is jnot important. What is important is that people see articles like this and try to remain calm. I ended up leaving work to come home and deal with the CPS worker, I was upset, I let the worker do a walk through of my home, I let him interview my children, and when I talked to him I cried and was extremely upset. In short I did everything wrong. Thankfully the truth was in my favor and the case was dismissed. The worker was even nice enough to expedite getting me a written copy of the case and the fact that it was dismissed. I got lucky, because even when you haven’t done anything wrong if you handle it wrong things can still go bad. I hope to never have this issue again, although my youngest stepchild is just turning 13 so it’s a good possibility that we will end up in court over custody again since we have retained the 50/50 physical custody that was granted in my husband’s divorce from his first wife ten years ago. You can never be too informed on a topic because you never know when the knowledge will come in handy.
Please don’t think you responded poorly–there are no “right” ways. As a CPS worker, I’ve had a thousand different responses, none right, not wrong. You are entitled to your feelings. And we can be a scary and intimidating group of people. We get it. I would never hold your responses against you, and hopefully no other CPS worker would either. The only advice I can suggest is that you do try and remain respectful and polite–only because it makes for an easier and much, much faster experience for both of us. We are legally obligated to investigate reported concerns of abuse–but we’re very pleased when we find nothing is going on.
“They’re just doing their jobs.”
“CPS is not out to get all children.”
“Love, forgive, be respectful…”
Let’s face a glaring fact that no one wants to mention or acknowledge. Child Protective Services is an agency that receives increased funding for every child they remove from a home. Their very budget relies on being able to remove at least as many children this year as they did last year; if they did not remove more than they did last year, there will be no increased funding, no raises, and no promotions.
When the employees of an agency are given a monetary incentive to remove children from homes – when their very pay and promotional status depends on the number of children they’ve “rescued” – there is corruption. Period.
The focus is no longer on helping children. It’s no longer on finding out if a claim was valid or not. It’s all about the number of children “rescued” that a CPS worker can put on his/her tally sheet to justify their employment, qualify for raises. and qualify for promotions.
Not only does this become a reality for every worker, it is an agency-wide mindset that “we must take in more children than last year, or our budget will be cut.” The agency as a whole, as an entity, is focused on receiving more money – and the only way to do that is to provide “proof” that more funding is needed; the only way to “prove” this is to take in more children.
I don’t care how nice the CPS workers seem to be. I don’t care if they’re normal people. I don’t care if they’re just doing their jobs. They voluntarily agreed to work for an agency that receives increased funding by ripping an increasing amount of children from their homes and families. They voluntarily agreed to accept employment where their job performance is measured – and rewarded – by the number of children they rip from their parents’ hands.
They voluntarily agreed to be part of this corrupt, backwards agency where they are rewarded – REWARDED – based on the number of children they kidnap.
That’s not a good person. That’s not someone who is “just doing their job”. That’s someone who has put aside their morals and integrity for money. Period.
Face it – when you have to tell yourself (and others) that someone is “just doing their job”, you’re not justifying the bad acts that that person is doing. You’re justifying your cowardice in speaking out against it and demanding that the right thing be done.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Carrie
Thank you for sharing. I truly appreciate your very insightful comment. The system is definitely broken.
We live in a broken world. We need the grace of God to navigate it, even in our “modern, civilized” country.
Becky
Carrie,
I don’t know where you get your information from but I can tell you that my salary (along with all of my colleagues) is set out in a collective bargaining agreement with a union. It goes by classification and we get a set increase annually as pre-determined by the union. Some years we get no pay-increase and others we will get as much as 3% (usually depends on how the economy is going).
I have never gotten any performance bonus for anything, certainly not for taking a child. It has never happened for me nor any of the colleagues I work for. So unless this is the case in the particular city or state you live in, this is an outright lie.
The only thing I get for removing a child from their home is way more work, not to mention stress, time away from my own family, and people wanting to blame me for the mess they have created.
Again, I am willing to consider that this may be the case in the place you live and if it is I would challenge you to reveal your sources or how you have come upon this information.
Do you even realize how much money it costs a department to keep kids in foster care and pay for all these services? If the government was out to make money they would be far smarter to not even have a child protection system in place let alone spend more by removing more kids and having to provide services for families.
If you are correct in that taking kids is a big cash cow then I am sure many more kids would be taken away and more people would be getting into the social work profession to make big money.
I am a single parent of 9. Seven of those nine are adopted.
They range in age from 50 y.o. to 10 y.o.
I used to have 2 sisters, and I still have my brother. The girls (my disowned sisters) were constantly calling CPS on me, making false allegations any time they were mad at me.
One of my adopted sons was gifted to me by the younger ex sister, yet she is the one that constantly called CPS on me.
Two years ago my mother fell ill and decided she wanted to live out her remaining time in my home. I brought mom home and became her caregiver. During this time, I learned that the girls had falsified my mother’s Last Will and they gave themselves all of my mother’s property, money and possessions and had written my brother and me out of the Will. When my mother found out, she was livid. Mom also found out her attorney was sleeping with her youngest daughter. Mom fired that attorney, hired a new one and had a new Will drawn up. When the girls found out about the new Will they accused me of swaying mom. whatever.
While my mom was on hospice in my home, with me as her sole caregiver (the girls refused to come over to my home), they girls called CPS on me and made false allegations. The case was closed. Since THAT didn’t work, they called APS and made allegations against me, stating I was keeping mom from them. After they spoke to mom, Case closed. When that didn’t work, they called CPS AGAIN, case closed! So AGAIN, they phoned APS, again, Case closed.
They went as far as calling the Sheriff because I refused to answer MY PHONE. I got tired of the harassing phone calls and quit answering my phone when they would call.
Since my brother and I have always been close, he got caught up in the middle of their anger too. They called CPS against him too, making false allegations.
I DO understand that the caseworkers have to investigate each and every call, but really????
THREE of my adoptees were adopted through CPS. They had my whole life in their files.
When is CPS/APS going to go after those that make revenge calls!? The caseworkers that came to my home said technically, I could press charges on the “reporter” but if I did that, the case would have to remain open.
I declined to press charges because I just wanted to be left alone to raise my children.
Rhonda
Thank you for sharing your story. You sound like you have a heart of gold. The contribution you are making in raising 9 children and caring for your mother make you shine like a bright light. This of course, causes the darkness around you to be even darker. I pray blessings on you and your family.
Becky
My Daughter Got in to drugs, I did not know until she had my Granddaughters, The oldest one now 3 years old, she left with me befor she was even a year old, about the time she became pregnant with the second one..Right after my second Granddaughter was born she just left with the baby, I finually found her, But she was living with a man that was a registered child molester. I begged her to bring my Granddaughter and come home. He was using her drug addiction to keep her there. Though it broke my heart and hurt me very deeply. I called CPS and asked them for help. They found my Granddaughter, Whom my daughter had left with a total stranger to take care of for 7 months and who was a drunk, CPS removed her and called me to meet them and pick the baby up,, I was over joyed to find my other Grandbaby and broken hearted to see and know she had been abused.. They found my daughter and offered her help with her drug abuse and gave her every chance to get better and get her kids back, But she choose drugs and the child molester over them, We are now going to court to get complete custody of the children, My daughters rights were completely taken..I can honestly say the CPS were my Grandbabies Guardian Angel! I am very sadden and hurt cause to keep my Grand Babies I can not have any contact at all with my daughter..I’m trying to do whats best for these two little girls..CPS is not always wrong some times they do good and are there to help!
Emma
Yours is certainly a tragic story, but I am very glad CPS was there to help you. There are certainly many wonderful dedicated caring people who work in the system. Thanks for sharing.
Becky
I understand this is a sensitive subject and have experience in several roles (homeschooling mom/grandmom 15 years, childcare director 8 years, principal 11 years, early educator trainer/speaker/author 11 years, Parenting seminar facilitator for parents that are under investigation 3 years). I recommend becoming familiar with laws, behavior signals, or other clues which might be mistaken for child abuse or neglect. I regularly train teachers and principals to recognize abuse and neglect and many homeschooling parents unwittingly do things that can appear negligent (e.g. running to the store and leaving very young kids unsupervised (even roaming) or supervised by a child younger than 12; spanking, grabbing, or yelling at your children; permitting illnesses to work their course and not seeking treatment for obvious physical (language delays, cognitive disorders, severe allergic reactions, etc.), emotional, or other needs; allowing children to go for days without clean clothing, bathing or brushing their teeth; or keeping an unclean home. Mandated reporters are instructed to report any of those items as well as the ones listed on this one page chart: https://www.preventchildabusenj.org/documents/parents_informational_brochures/Physical%20and%20Behavioral%20Indicators%20of%20Child%20Abuse%20and%20Neglect.pdf
In spite of the conspiracy theories out there, CPS is not out to collect children to become wards of the state, instead they want to protect children and strengthen families. I hope the chart is helpful.
Althea
I appreciate your insight. Thanks for sharing. This is good information for parents to be aware of. Of course, we all admit that not every CPS employee is out to get your kids, but not every employee is able to discern and make decisions in the best interests of the child. It is unfortunately true that too many families have had a bad experience with CPS for any blanket statements to apply.
Becky
I wish I saw this earlier…but CPS took my kids recently stating General Neglect & Failure to Protect against my husband who my 17 yr old dtr said some things that I don’t know are true or not. I have spent the last 10 years combatting, unsubstantiated, manipulative and false claims made behalf of the 17 yr old’s bio dad and through her. 20 unfounded or inclusive cases, to be exact while we went through a bitter family court custody battle. Now this latest one I had to call because of what my 17 yr old told me in the morning so I reported my suspicions and now they’ve turned everything around and put me as the perpetrator in the allegations that I don’t know if they are true or not…temp they took all my kids: placed the 2 younger ones with Paternal Grandparents and 17 w/bio dad – who after reading the report at the detention hearing has a rap sheet a mile long (unbeknownst) to me with the recent latest a battery charge w/girlfriend. Me & my husband: no criminal history. To top it off this worker misrepresented facts and twisted things around…it’s all about money with them. I should have known…since as a child myself I was wrenched into their system…but it worked out after I later learned the department was shut down by the federal govt after allegations were proved that they were taken kids in other counties as well and pumping them with medication to get more federal dollars per kids – needless to say that social worker lost her job, spent time in jail and the only job she can have is a WalMart greeter – my brother & I ran into her years later on a trip north in WI. Getting back to the current state CA (broke as hell) so now we move on to the jurisdiction phase where we will dispute but don’t know if will do any good…the woman misrepresented facts changed her report to make it serious against me, my husband who has not been charged criminally or arrested…but in their eyes: tried and convicted, I am supposed to have monitored visits w/my children whenever that will start and at least my daughter has to register for her sr. year w/expectation to walk w/class – bio dad wanted her to take her HS proficiency exam…are lastest disagreement before this allegations…Prayers are needed…
Lisa
Your situation is indeed difficult. I pray you will get the help you need and that justice will be done for you and your precious children.
Becky
We were reported a few months ago. The CPS worker had another call and had to go to it but sent a cop out to look at my son. Because there was “physical” damage to him the cop said he needed to see him. I let the cop in and told him what happened. He saw that my son was VERY enthusiastic about what had happened and was overly loud about it. The cop laughed and said “accidents happen” thanked us for being polite and not fighting the situation and said he would report that nothing was wrong. In my personal observations it is way better to talk to them nicely, one person to another, and don’t hide things. They have always said that our home and children are fine! People call the cops and CPS way too much. We’ve personally seen CPS 2 times and had the cops called on us about our dogs. Each time I have been nice and have not denied access to my home and it ends very quickly. I feel if you tell them no it will look bad. They seem to feel that you are hiding something if you refuse a visit.
The information I received when this happened to us differs from what is here. The police officer who accompanied CPS (who was wearing a body camera) said he would handcuff me and enter my home anyway despite me denying permission because they needed to see the conditions the child was living in. He advanced on me and was about to put his hands on me when I relented (because I have an adult son with autism who would have done something stupid if he had seen the officer handcuffing me.) I consulted a lawyer afterwards – who said they could do that on a child welfare check. The child was standing next to me at the moment, they could see her and she was FINE. I endured two visits all told and in the end NO CASE WAS OPENED. The information they were acting on was one sentence in a written complaint from a neighbor about our overgrown back yard. The sentence read “They say they homeschool but we see her outside during school hours and we aren’t sure she’s supervised enough.” I got to read that at the end of the second visit. Again – I consulted a family lawyer and was informed that CPS and the police acted correctly in this situation. (I live in Missouri.)
What if they go to the school without you knowing and the talk to ur kid that happened once to my sister
I’m not in homeschooling so what or who can I call if this happens? I do not have a lawyer but we have a church that we’ve been attending for almost 10 years. We’ve had visits before and thankfully, lucked out and the workers believe us and all allegations were dropped. I actually had to distance one of my friends because dd said something that wasn’t even true to a school secretary. No one came out for that one, but I lost the friendship
You can check out the link for legal aid, which was posted in the comments. I have not reviewed their service.
I have a son who is severely disabled. When he was 8 months old, the doctors etc. couldn’t find what was wrong with him. Its a very rare disease that only affects 1 in every 500, 000 boys. Because they couldn’t put a title on it, they took him from me claiming he must have been abused. A few days later after some medical tests, it was found that he was born with it, and put him back in my custody–completely unesscessary. Complete bullshit they can rip anyones children from them at any time, often without any reason. They cause more trauma than anything else.
This applies when they come to your home, but when my children were in public school, they were interviewed there without my consent or knowledge, asked all kinds of crazy insinuating questions and then had their answers twisted in all sorts of disgusting ways. They were never taken away, but CPS was always there, watching and waiting for me to breathe wrong. Talk about STRESSFUL!
I represent a company that can grant immediate access to affordable attorneys for reasons like this. Everyone deserves to know their rights and have affordable legal representation.
I apologize for posting about the company that I work for, I just hope it helps at least one person.
Legalshieldassociate.com/crandall
I have had experience with CPS 3 times regarding my autistic grandson. All the issues were his parents, not me, as CPS gave the boy to me after the first incident and reported the next 2 calls as unfounded. He was bruised the first time by his father being spanked too hard. I had him for 1 year after that until the parents were cleared.The 2nd call was from a neighbor who complained that the child was left home alone for long periods of time which were unfounded as the child was 7 at the time and was home alone during daylight hours for only 5 minutes. The 3rd call was from the school nurse claiming the child wasn’t being fed properly. He has Autism, he is extremely particular with his food and was getting Pediasure to make up the extra calories. The CPS worker was allowed in the house after several conferences during the first incident, but was not permitted inside for the second two instances.They were allowed to come into my house while he was living with me to follow up on his temporary removal. He is 10 now and doing well at home with no further issues being reported.
I wish I would have seen this 3mths ago cus they came an took my child of he said she said and now they won’t answer me or tell me about my son. I call everyday to see whats going on and my case workers says she has too many cases and she will get back with me whenever she can….smh I will fight til the death of me to get my baby back and fight for our freedom cus they had no right to take my son..
Mindi
I pray you will be reunited with your son and that you will find the help you need to navigate the system. It sounds like you have real perseverance and determination – your son needs that from you now.
Becky
Ty… I am determined and fight for him and speaking out BC what they have done to my family is wrong and leaving a mother blind side and not telling me about my son…is jus wrong and this can’t be right.I didn’t even get a chance to show them or tell them about my life.They just took him BC of a call. No investigation or opportunity to prove that I am a parent before anything an I support my child custody he’s my son my friend my heart my world my everything the only one I have…and I’m lost without him.I have never been a day without my Lil boy!
We live in Texas. Our 13 year old daughter was off campus before school started and was hanging out with some of her friends in an alley. A school police officer pulled up and all of the kids including our daughter ran. She made it back to school before the first bell rang and she was on time to class. Three days later they arrested her at school for evading police. The school suspended her for three days, then they gave her in house suspension and now as a 1st time offender they she has to take 12 classes of a program called VOICES and I was informed that after she completes those classes that we have to allow a place to come into our home to do a home study. Do we have to allow them to do this? We are feeling very violated. We allowed them to give her consequences to teach her a lesson how ever at what point does this end? We take very good care of our children and I appreciate them wanting to make sure that children are safe but how in the world is this ok? Do we have to let them do a home study? Can they actually invade our privacy like this? So afraid that if we don’t they will take our kids away from us even though we haven’t done anything wrong.
You really should seek an attorney
Pingback: What to do if CPS Shows up at Your Door | Californians for Medical Freedom – Tahoe
I am a huge proponent of parental rights as well as the health and well being of the kids and I work with CPS daily in 3 counties. For the most part, our CPS workers are only interested in the well being of children. That said, this is a GREAT article and I recommend EVERY parent read it and follow the advice. Be aware that if your kids attend public school and you will not allow CPS to talk to your kid at home, the school counselors work closely with CPS and they will allow your child to be interviewed at school, without your knowledge or permission.
Know this too. They often have visited your child’s school already and most often have evidence in play that as questions are asked of you ( in a different wording of course) they manipulated the statements as required to remove the child or children thus now they have time to progress their case having control of your children.
Great advice. I’ve had CPS out to house so many time (due to my ex-wife), I’m about to add them to my Christmas card list. They are starting to be considered family.
We had a different situation and it really scared us. Our daughter was detained at school as were our other school-aged children. I had gone to work at the hospital and my husband got a phone call from the school saying until we were interviewed by DCF our children weren’t coming home. Husband called me home from work immediately and we had no clue what had happened.
Apparently our son and daughter had been on the front step smoking- neither had permission to smoke and both were in middle school. This took place when dad was mowing the lawn. Anyway, my son turned around with the cigarette in his hand and accidently hit the back of his sister’s neck with it leaving a burn mark. She had her hair up in a bun so her neck was exposed. No one was going to say anything because they knew they’d both be in deep trouble for the smoking.
The next day my daughter was in class and the teacher was walking through the desk rows. He noticed the mark on my daughter’s neck and asked what it was. To him her behavior was immediately ‘overly defensive, frightened, terrified even’. She tried to hide it and said it was a bug bite and when he asked what bit her, she started to cry. He sent her to the nurse while he got the principal involved and together they decided our daughter was the victim of abuse. What was really going on was our daughter not wanting to tell on her brother because he would respond by saying she was smoking too and now everyone was going to know. But she couldn’t say that. She couldn’t say anything really…and everything she did say sounded like a ‘story’ because she couldn’t tell them the truth.
DCF came to our home to interview my husband and me, a 3 hour session mind you. They looked around the house and asked lots of questions about discipline, spanking, shouting. I’ll tell you what, I never felt so scared in my life. I knew we were good parents but when you have 5 kids and someone else has them at school and you don’t even know why, panic hits. It never occurred to me to call an attorney- we couldn’t have afforded one anyway.
Finally, after extensive interviews with the children at the same time in separate rooms they got all the information and ultimately figured out what happened. And then told us. What bothered me was why the school didn’t call us first. I understand they are obligated to report signs of abuse but this was something that could have been cleared up in 5 minutes if I’d gone to talk with my daughter. For a while they were actually considering taking my son out of our home because they thought he burned my daughter intentionally.
When it was over I asked what would happen now. I was told that it would be on the ‘books’ forever that we had once been investigated for alleged child abuse by DCF and they would pull that information up if anything else happened. The bottom line was, we didn’t get our kids back until after 9 pm that night and it was awful.. they were crying, I was a mess, and of course it was the talk of the neighborhood for weeks. I didn’t really care about the gossip, but just to think that DCF could take ‘custody’ of our children like that blew my mind.
Kids are all grown now with kids of their own, but I’ve heard some very scary stories after people make ‘spite’ accusations against others and involve DCF. They have to investigate but wow. Talk about feeling guilty when you’ve done nothing wrong!
I find this article to be a little over the top. I worked for CPS and I can say that social workers are not out to get you. Removing children from the home is NOT something we want to do unless the children are in imminent danger. I can’t speak for everyone, but social workers become social workers because we want to help. If CPS is called to your house, just be polite and cooperative. We are HAPPY when we find that nothing is wrong. Of course their are stories out their of bad experiences with CPS, but that is the exception, not the rule. We truly just want to make sure kids are safe. Articles like this just put fear in people, which probably does more harm than good!
Mel
Thanks for your comment. It seems there are many fantastic case workers who, as you say, just want to help and make sure kids are safe. But unfortunately, it has not been every family’s experience. I agree that parents should always be polite, but until they know and understand the allegations, it might not be in their best interests to trust the case worker. Sometimes they system works on the premise that parents are guilty until proven innocent. Imagine if everyone had to prove their innocence? Our legal system operates on innocent until proven guilty. I’m certainly not wanting to make people fearful, but ignorance of the system has caused many families a lot of unnecessary trauma. I have tried to give parents a strong message to be nice, be polite, and be prepared. I think that itself is important because sometimes people don’t automatically respond in a nice polite way when a stranger shows up accusing you of harming your children.
And for each time you close the door (to get a phone or whatever else), be sure to lock it. I closed my door to grab a letter from our private school. That’s when all 6 cops and the CPS worker barged into my home and began searching.
My family and I have had multiple dealings with CPS/ACS/Family Services over the years. My wife is of Antiguan decent, I am of Irish decent. We are an inter-ethnic couple (I don’t like inter-racial because it is not the truth. Same race, different ethnicities). Each time the CPS/ACS people were called, the accusations were unfounded and the cases were dismissed. We always made sure they were fed, clothed, etc. Yes, we’ve been through homelessness, and it’s ten times as hard if you have kids with you. The last time CPS was called on us was because we had just gotten evicted and we were staying with a friend. But our former landlord called CPS saying that he had seen us sleeping under an overpass. Fact was, we did stay with friends that night. And the following night… I think that CPS should be allowed to prosecute those who make false allegations out of jealousy or spite because it is a waste of time for CPS workers to go after those cases when they can go after the cases of parents who actually are abusing and neglecting their kids. Every time I hear of a child being abused or beaten to death by their parents, I think, “What if CPS had not needed to waste their time on a false case and instead intervened in time to save that child?” Because, in-varyingly, when a child is abused or beaten to death, the first question is, “Where was CPS/ACS?” And they get blamed because they did not act. Well, maybe if there were fewer false calls, they could intervene in time to save more kids’ lives.
I had to deal with cps not to long ago here in Michigan they don’t care if your child is sick hyper or anything. They force a kid to say what they want them to. Then turn the families world upside down stop the parents at any moment from going to pay bills park in front of the home in a no parking zone. Which can get the family evicted if in an apartment or trailer park. They make you go through and pay for a parenting class that doesn’t give you any information on anything about kids. then your put on a list that keeps you from getting some jobs can make you lose a job even if you are not convicted of anything. Also try to make sure that others in the house don’t give any information that is not asked for. My husband has a habit of getting defensive and saying things not needed and that can harm what is going on.
You make CPS out to be all bad. You know those really cruel abusive parents are also reading this…right? The ones who allow a child to waste away over a year and die of starvation at 11 pounds when more than 2 years old. Or the ones that care so much about their next fix that they pimp out their 6 year old daughter. If CPS is coming out..someone had made a serious allegation that needs to be addressed…..either then or with court evolvement. I like all good CPS workers want to leave a family together and do all we can to see that it happens.But this saving embarrassment for the good parents may be sealing a coffin for a child in a really bad family/situation. Just saying……what’s a little intrusion into our lives……compared to the protection of a child truly in need. If you cooperate……let us see the child is safe…..we generally get out of you family pretty fast. If you are a loving protective parent then we are on the same page because we are in this business to protect children and preserve families.
Lucy
Thanks for your insight.
My opening sentence states that some children are harmed in their homes. This post is about helping parents who might be wrongfully accused to be prepared, be nice and take the allegations seriously.
Not all caseworkers are able to assess true abuse and unfortunately many families have experienced unfounded removals. The level of response to this post is a strong confirmation of that fact. My heart is that justice would be done for ALL children. The state is not our parent. One day every parent, every CPS employee, and every abuser of children will have to answer to God for how they treated children. We must each seek to live with that in mind. I don’t claim to know everything or have all the answers, but families and children both need protection and wisdom. Not every person employed is on the same page regarding protecting and persevering families.
Becky
Luckily my experience with CPS was better than a lot of yours. I was turned in for abuse. My son had spilled hot chocolate on his leg so he had a little burn. His paternal grandmother who was only allowed to see him every two weeks turned me in. She had caused a lot of problems since my son was born and was then fired from a daycare for inappropriate behavior. She had also applied for SSI for my son with her as the payee without telling me or his dad. I only found out because they sent a copy of the paperwork to my son. The CPS woman who came was awesome. She really worked hard to get my case closed. After it was the grandmother turned me in every other day. Finally CPS called me to let me know about it. They said they would testify for me if I wanted to sue her for slander. So in my opinion, CPS isn’t that evil.
I have this exact thing happen to me years ago. EX inlaws would “use” the SRS to harrass me. then it got to be my ex husband. on stupid stuff like the kids are behind on their shots, and my son was getting too many ear aches as a baby. It got to the point where i would say i have cookies and coffee on for you please come in i was expecting you. they would laugh with me after the umteeth time of coming out to the house. and I finally put a complaint out on my ex husband and they quit coming. so sad the world is so opposite. they give babies back to mothers that let their babies drift out to sea or that their is proof that they tired to kill them. but to homeschoolers they will hound and hound them. i finally joined an attorney group and they defended me and that helped too.
I’ve read this articles advice, and I’ve read through most of the comments. I have to say, where you live really does make a difference. The state & parish I live in go overboard when it comes to keeping the family together. We had neighbors living in the rental house next to us, once. The dad rented the house for his 6 kids to live in, the oldest was 18. He stayed on the other side of town, but showed up weekly to check on them. The youngest 2 (twin boys) were 8 yrs old. These boys were out of control! We stopped them from drowning a kitten in their pool, once. We called the police on them for shooting fireworks (bottle rockets) directly at my house on purpose. Caught them jumping our 6 ft privacy fence numerous times to ‘play’ in our yard. One day, while waiting for the school bus, they were throwing glass bottles into the street cause they wanted the school bus to get a flat tire so they could miss school. Not to mention, they were constantly bringing lice to school. (I found this out cause my kids kept getting it. After questioning everyone, I found out my kids were assigned to the same bus seats.) I could go on forever, and I did to OCS. You know what I was told? ‘Until they actually hurt themselves or someone else, we can’t do anything.’
in new york state even if the worker who actually investigates the case feels it should be unfounded a supervisor who has never met any of the involved parties can then decide that the case should be indicated with no actual investigating on their part, and the parent’s only recourse is to request a “fair hearing”
Becky –
Thank you for the helpful article. I only have one thing about it that I disagree with, and I hope that you do read this comment.
You label the CPS worker as a “social worker”. This is the wrong term in most cases and further perpetuates the cycle of the general public believing that social workers are “baby snatchers” who work for the government. In fact, the majority of CPS workers are not actually social workers by true definition and do not even hold a degree in social work. Their degrees range from math, liberal arts, and history to art science and English. They have no “social work” training short of the 2-3 weeks of state mandated training they receive when hired.
They are case workers, not social workers. This may seem like semantics to some, but as a licensed social worker with many years of practice in a variety of social work environments, I can assure you that people hear the term “social worker” and automatically assume that we are “evil” and only in their lives to cause problems, when in reality it is (usually) the exact opposite.
Please consider changing your article to reflect this information.
Thank you for your insight though. Families, especially home schooling families, need to be aware.
Saleta
Thank you for making that distinction. I agree it is important. I certainly do not claim to be an expert in this area, and have drawn largely from others with direct experience. I appreciate your insight and experience. Thank you for taking the time to point this out, I had come across some information regarding the limited amount of training some case workers have had. Again, I am sure there are many wonderful caseworkers, but it only takes one bad experience to turn a family’s life upside down.
Becky
“Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the very real dangers threatening the health and freedom of today’s parents, providing information to navigate towards joyful family living!”
Are you actually attempting to “navigate towards joyful family living”? From what I see, it would be more accurate to state, “navigate towards desperate, fearful, and powerless cowering”. Yuck. This is fear-mongering at its core and represents a gross misunderstanding of the system. For shame.
CPS is a civil matter in civil court. Unless the police are charging you with a crime you do not have to answer the door for CPS. You always want to call the police if CPS does show up at your door. They can not take a child unless they have a warrant even in an emergency case, even if the police are there. You have not been charged with a crime until the judge has heard the case. If they take your child without those measures they are stealing your child. The police do not want to get involved and often do not even know the rights of the parents. Also IF CPS says they are emergency removing your child you have every right to call a relative or friend and put them into their custody so the child does not go to a foster home. They scare you and use that against you to forcibly remove a child.
I live in an area where CPS doesn’t do enough to protext children. In my classroom, I had a studenr who lived in a Meth lab. It took YEARS for them to do something. Presently, my 3 year old niece lives with us. She was also living in a Meth lab. We had to hire a lawyer to HELP us save my niece. Crazy how CPS is different from one location to another.
Exactly, Marti
The point is to be cautious and realize that many have bad experiences with CPS, but to be polite and reasonable so you don’t unnecessarily rile them. It is sometimes a challenging line for innocent, naive parents to navigate.
Becky
Great information!!!
I am glad people are putting this out there because there are a LOT of parents out there who do not know or fully understand their legal rights and the fact that these people will use MANY methods of coercion to gain entry into someones home (the did it to my next door neighbor a few yrs before we moved here, we’ve been friends since our kids were in pre-school together as well)….loving parents that take dang good care of their kids but their oldest who is in cheer got a bruise on her cheek during practice (back flip by another cheerleader that went awry…big time) and a teacher (which I STILL don’t understand!!!!) reported under the mandatory reporting law even after the student (7th grade, more than old enough to articulate what happened not to mention the teacher KNEW she was in cheer!!!) told her to check with her cheer coach who was right down the hall…the parents, my friends, didn’t know they had absolute rights to deny entry etc. and they eventually, under duress (they threatened to remove all 4 including their 5 week old nursing son!!!!) granted them access to their home…Thankfully, now they know better!
I think that a lot of you have a misunderstanding of what CPS does – in saying this I realize that laws are different in every state, and I empathize with the scary situations that you may have gone through.
I have worked as an investigator for CPS for 5yrs now; when we get a call or report of abuse/neglect there is a deductive reasoning procedure used to determine if the report needs to be looked into (this includes looking at any history that the family has with the department, the details of the report, talking to any other parties that may know of any incident or the current situation, and assessing immediate and imminent danger of the child).
If it is determined that the report needs to be investigated it is typically assigned as: prevention (see whats going on the with family, and offer resources that they could potentially benefit from), assessment (ask questions by talking to all parties involved, work with the family on any interventions that may be needed, and offer resources), or investigation (criminal charges appear likely, child/ren appear to be in imminent danger, it is likely that the child/ren will be removed from their home, sexual abuse, major injury, child fatalities).
In the state where I live, as well as surrounding states, CPS cannot take your children from you…law enforcement, a doctor, or a judge are the only ones who can take protective custody of a child.
I often go to someones home, and the first thing they ask me is if I am going to take their children away from them – first off – no..I have no power to take anyone’s children from them, and secondly it is MY JOB to help you avoid ever getting your children taken away, families often need help- and that is okay- the CPS worker that is knocking on your door is someone that can help you. It is MY JOB as an investigator and social worker to help create a safety plan/network for a family that may be having a hard time – its really hard to do that when someone shuts the door and refuses to let me speak to their children…because I’m going to then go back to my office and inform my supervisor that you refused to speak with me, and she is going to tell me to call law enforcement and go out to the house with them. Now, if I go to the house with law enforcement and they see something that they don’t like then it is completely up to them as to whether or not a child is taken into custody.
People often do not understand, that their lack of cooperation ends up hurting them more then helping them. I’m not saying that you have to invite the CPS worker into your home and offer them a muffin and some tea. By all means, shut your door and talk to me outside…but bring your kids outside to talk to me as well, or at least let me look at them (so I can document that I saw your child, alive). If you feel so inclined involve your lawyer, but do so knowing that lawyers (mostly) work in court rooms, and involving your lawyer may mean an unnecessary court case – when you could have met with me, created a safety plan, and dealt with me touching base with you a couple times over the next month.
Here is my suggestion for what to do if CPS shows up at your door:
Be frustrated if you want to be – but not at the CPS worker; this a job (hopefully a passion) and it is highly unlikely that the CPS worker has anything personal against you.
If you are having a hard time and need help, here is your perfect opportunity. CPS workers are suppose to have resources to help you, they are here for YOU. If there is something that we can do now to help avoid your children being removed, then tell us! I will do everything in my power to help a family that wants help, but when you refuse to ever have a conversation with me…then I am forced to involve powers higher then me (law enforcement) at which point they become the decision makers.
You dont have to let a CPS worker into your home and you can involve your attorney – thats fine by me, but realize that I am not your enemy – I am the person who will help you create a safety plan/network to help you through a hard time, I am the person who will spend hours on the phone trying to find a family member for your child to stay with if they have come into protective custody, I am the person that will work with you to make the necessary changes before a judge allows your child to be returned into your custody. Try not to fight the person who is working for you – we want families to stay together, truly.
I’m sorry for everyone who has had bad experiences, its an imperfect system and I make no excuses for that.
CPS can also save a life I truly believe my adopted daughter would be dead by now if she hadn’t been removed she was secretly being submitted to a living hell…
I don’t agree with all of this… “visits have resulted in the quick removal of children – despite no grounds to allegations of harm or abuse”… It costs way too much government money to take a child from the home without grounds. CPS has so many more children that slip through the cracks and don’t get taken away from an abusive home because there is not enough funding to take the child or evidence. It’s insane how hard it is for them to take a child away that NEEDS to be taken away. If you are a good parent then SURE, take this advice, but it is a SHAME when bad parents do this. When abusive parents tell CPS to get a warrant, when awful parents “Take their time” blah blah blah. If your reading this just think- out of all the parents that have read this article thinking, “oh yeah this is great advice for me, I’m a great parent.” There is a portion of them that are abusive and are going to use these tactic in a harmful way to keep their children from getting help. And the article states that, “Do not get caught up in their games.” – This is in no way a game for the underpaid and underappreciated social workers. They are overworked and have huge caseloads. They don’t want to waste their time on innocent parents. They do get a lot of unnecessary call in’s, but they weed those out as quickly as possible to get to the real cases. I have social worker friends who tell me they get many unnecessary calls, but they have to check up on it because it’s their job and they try to move on as quickly as possible to help people that are really in need. If you do put up this much resistance to a visit from CPS, it’s just going to make you look guilty of something and prolong the process. And also, just to mention… The job of a social worker that makes home visits is very unsafe one, they have to go into homes that have real abuse and violence very often. Many of them face real danger when going into homes when danger and abuse is a real threat…. Trust me…. No one likes home visits.
Everyone on here saying how bad CPS is and how they are out to ruin everyone’s lives. For some that may be true. But for the rest, they are actually there to help. They are required by law to investigate every call they get. Whether it’s true or not, they don’t know that. They are just there to keep kids safe. So i’m sitting here laughing at all of you people saying their homewreckers and blah blah because you were targeted for some reason or another. smh. unbelievable…
And it would be different if you could just walk in and apply to work there. You cant. You need degrees, certifications and all this other stuff. And earning your degree is hard for this field…I’m doing it now! It’s not a piece of cake, and i’m sure people wouldn’t waste their time just to “ruin” other peoples lives.
Naive. It’s sad *not ALL cps workers* have a passion to truly care, to take their job seriously, like you. Some evil people are working for the cps. Some evil people are doctors, lawyers, policemen.
My son’s father (which has been absent for 5 years) was in trouble with an ex girlfriend cyf came to my house and investigated both my children and home over what happened between the ex girlfriend and my sons father said “it was a safety check” even requested info from my child’s school” tell me that’s not legal as mentioned he hasn’t seen our son in 5 years and the charges from the ex girlfriend had nothing to do with me or my children. The worker checked my children’s bedrooms, food supply, made sure I had running water and my stove worked…why was I being investigated? Then called a few days later to say she dropped my case…my case????
I wish you would clarify what state this is for because not all states are the same and in some states following this advice will get you arrested and your children taken away (at least temporarily)
A lot of it is great advice just make sure you check the laws in your state so you don’t end up in more trouble.
This is the most ridiculous article I have ever read. Do you have ANY experience in this field? It doesn’t sound like it. I’m a CPS Supervisor and can tell you that the quickest way to allow US to do OUR job is to cooperate.
Nikki says: “RESPECT MY AUTHORITAIIII”
Uh, no.
Uh, HELL NO.
There is NO legal duty to assist someone in an investigation. And, is it guilty until proven innocent, or innocent until proven guilty?
“I’m a CPS supervisor”… Paraphrased, I’m a control freak who acts as if I am helping.
Are you kidding me right now?! How would you like it if I showed up at your job and told you that I was going to prevent you from doing it? If you have nothing to hide, cooperate!!!!
Furthermore, you are very quick to judge someone’s character. I would suspect you hold some sort of grudge against a CPS agency for a particular reason…
Spoken like a true power freak.
a few years ago, we kicked out a roommate for damaging the room we rented out….a few days later the CPS showed up at our door, of course, we were surprised. We were asked if they could come in, we let them…because we didn’t know what was going on and didn’t have anything to hide. The first thing they asked were, where are the kids? They came running down the hall and hid behind mommy and daddy. Our kids are shy when it comes to strangers, but of course. One CPS worker asked to look in our refrigerator, the kids closet, the kids room, the bathroom and we didn’t stop them. They mentioned that the place was really clean. I have OCD, my place is always clean, my kids are always well dressed, well fed and had ample toys. When we finally sat down, I asked why they were here. Their answer made us burst out laughing. Someone had called anonymously and said we were drug dealers, dealing drugs, not feeding kids, always high on drugs. We knew right away who made that call. The angry roommate. They closed the case on the spot when we showed them the room that had been destroyed by the former roommate and told them what happened. The CPS never came back. They did ask why did we let the roommate stay with us, we said….they were old friends, we didn’t think they would do such a thing. Never again did we get roommates.
so what happens if someone makes wrong accusations on abuse to cps, and you ask who gave the info but they tell you they can’t say is there a way to find out? that’s what happened to my husband and I someone called in for domestic violence but the accusations were wrong but they won’t tell me who it was charges were dropped but makes me mad that hey won’t tell me who it was
Randomly I am dealing with this right now. My sister has called not only cps but also my city police. When the cops knocked on the door and asked to come in, to check on the conditions of the children and the home I said sure I allowed them in my home. I have nothing to hide. The looked around my living room and kitchen apologized for wasting my time and listen to my son give a 15 minute tutorial on minecraft. This was actually July 2nd. Monday cps came as I was leaving she gave me her number and allowed me to make an appointment for yesterday. I have 5 kids, she needed to see all of them to make sure they were healthy and checked out my home. Of course she found no issues and will be closing the case. I don’t understand why if you have nothing to hide why not let them in?
Mos old of this is good information, however you are incorrect about some things.
I used to be a cps investigator in the state of Texas, and there is no warrant needed to speak to your children without your permission provided that the cps investigator informs you they saw your child within 24 hours. While I understand this and it is reasonable to speak to a child at the school if there is abuse present (or even not, because children are generally honest and they will clear up the situation quickly for the parents, generally speaking.) This is also unnerving and parents should understand it’s not an illegal practice. However, if the child has not been spoken to at the time at which the investigator knocks on the parents door, the parent may refuse for the investigator to speak to the child.
It is important to note that this will not get rid of the investigator, as the next step for the investigator will be to receive a court order to interview your child. Which generally succeed. If you have been noncompliant and they have reason to suspect any other drug use or anything, or if you have previous cps cases they can use as evidence or statements from friends or police or police reports that they may use, they may also at that time get a court order to force you to comply with the investigation.
It is very important to always be polite but firm, and if possible, get legal counsel when dealing with these situations. Most cps cases are scary but gone in less than 6 months.
Excellent article. All of the advice is good. The only thing I would add is this: If a warrant is presented, in addition to checking the signature and date the parent should also check the address and the description of what is to be searched or who is to be interviewed. If the address is incorrect then the warrant is likely unenforceable. Any search or interview should be limited to no more than is identified in the warrant. If you think you’ve found a possible defect in the warrant, be polite, but point it out to the CPS/Law Officer(s). Contact your attorney immediately and tell him/her about the defect.
Is this true in every state? I was told by a CPS worker and her police escort that I could not deny CPS entry even though my children were not present nor were they staying there. Feeling defeated I conceded but told her police escort he would have to wait outside for I knew my rights when it came to police.
Cps workers think they are God. They take children out of perfectly safe homes on hearsay.
I have grown up with CPS in my life and I can tell you, they failed me as a child in danger multiple times! They are an agency that means well but, is influenced by politics. When my son was born, I confronted my midwife for help. I have ptsd and was seeing anger come through when dealing with my new born. I did not hurt my newborn but, the midwife was high strung. So we had OCS knocking at our door. I cooperated with them and went above and beyond to prove that our home wasn’t perfect but, that our son was safe, loved and provided. They shut the case stating that the allegations were false. So, I have seen both sides of the coin with cps/ocs. Cooperate with them, agitation will bring out the side you don’t want. I did stay between the social worker and my son at ALL TIMES but, she recognized it as me being protective and I was.
However, I was taken away from my mother, who adored me and I live with life long issues because of it.
It really depends on the state, situation and social worker. Bless all of your experiences and your family, follow your instincts
Thank you so much for posting this information…knowledge is power!!:)
Have your attorney on your cell phone’s contacts. DO NOT LET CPS INTO THE HOUSE even to talk to your attorney.
You should have a doctor that won’t turn you into CPS for disagreeing, so you also should have a local attorney you can trust, have copies of his card, and if you can’t contact him, offer the card to CPS.
Thank you for the information, very informative and clearly written. I was just wondering if the aboved mentioned rights are applicable in all States?
Thanks!
Hi Christina
That’s a great question. I don’t have all the answers, but I believe different states, and even different counties, could have differences. Also, some locations have excellent caring staff who are willing to respect and clear parents wrongfully charged. The challenge for parents is knowing the intention, character, and motives of the person who comes to visit. I believe all parents reading this want the best for their children. There is obviously some difference of opinion in how to achieve the best outcome. I believe we need wisdom, discernment and the best source of those is from God through Jesus. I believe prayer is a powerful help in times of trouble.
Becky
Warning foster parents also – you may think you are exempt, but you aren’t. We had our agency and cps show up at our house and moved the foster kids, who they had intended on letting us adopt, and moved them to another foster home. We took them to court, and are still fighting them, even though we were awarded legal custody of the kids. They even testified in court that there was no reason for removing them and that we were doing a wonderful job with the kids. They were special needs also. They ended up having a rough time in the new foster home. We are hoping that in the next couple weeks, everything will be finished and we will have the children back, and cps will be out of our hair. If they do show up, our attorney will definitely be getting a call. Of course, all the agencies say they are out for what’s best for the children, but the truth is they are out for what brings them more money.
As a foster parent I am going through the same thing right now.
In my state if you suspect anything you are required by law to report an incident. If not and something does happen those children you could be held liable. As a social worker I have seen cases where someone was trying to get back at someone by calling and making a false report. Every time that happened the caseworker saw it for what it was and closed the case after the first visit.
If they would have followed this advice the would have made themselves look guilty and the case would have been open for a lot longer causing everyone more stress for everyone involved.
I followed this advice, besides the recording, and STILL it was thrown out immediately as ridiculous revenge…….a blanket statement just doesn’t work here as there is corruption in so many gov’t organizations……if I had let the lady into my home as she tried to push her way in, she would’ve taken note of every speck of dirt present in her sight. Only the parent can speak for their own familial experience and.you can only speak for the integrity of yourself. Seriously? Would you stand at the edge of someone’s grass staring at their house if they told you their lawyer would call you?? That they were packing to leave for a 2day drive to Disney World and that’s where their concentration had to be-not on the vindictive email a brother had sent them taking claim for his fabricated report??
Even as a mandated reporter I’d think common sense is supposed to be employed….I would NEVER call on a family member or friend without offering supportive help and that’s what loving people actually do……it’s what was done for me when I was suffering severely due to an eating disorder and had to go to treatment while I had 3 small children…..my best friend set up background checked help for me through our mops group and didn’t hold my crisis against me…..she knows I went through hell with an abusive upbringing that led to my ed to begin with…..avoiding such a system at any cost should be everyone’s goal…..especially if you’re actually a loving, protective, involved parent, sorry but you shouldn’t take it personally that it’s organizations like yours that aren’t trusted…..they brand people for life
I am bipolar, and was investigated when I had my son. They questioned me before I even left the hospital. They did it without my husband present and my mother told them my house was a filthy pig sty. We had clean clothes on the couch, because I was in the middle of folding laundry when I went into labor. I left the hospital late Saturday afternoon and they were at my house at 8:00 am Sunday. They called my mother and asked if police officers were necessary. Of course she told them no and let them in gave them coffee and they treated me like I wasn’t there. I am the mom, the wife. My mother doesn’t even live in the same state as me.
Joanna, your issue is with your mother, not CPS. You not only need to get her out of your house, you need to get her out of your life. She is a poisonous witch. I hope things are better for you now.
I have recently had cps called for drugs being in my home. I know who called because not only did this man called on me, but he also reported his girlfriend and my brother. I don’t do drugs nor are they in my house. He called out of hatred because he couldn’t come live with me. What do I do! My daughter is my whole world and I’m terrified they’re going to try and take her from me because of what he had said. CPS is coming tomorrow to see my daughter and give me a mouth swab.
Unfortunately this article has misguided information. CPS CAN legally speak to your children without your consent….AND WILL. You as a parent do NOT have to cooperate with a cps investigation but guaranteed, the investigation will continue. Many people call in false reports out of anger or vengeance, putting children in the middle of their personal disputes….but really? You don’t think cps workers can’t smell THAT selfish act a mile away?? Cps workers understand child Trauma probly more than MANY people who work with children. They are out there doing their best to protect the children and families in their community. What’s CRAZY is the abuse and neglect that DOES happen!! If cps doesn’t remove a child and a child dies, cps gets raked over the coals for “NOT SAVING THE CHILD”. But no one realizes the criteria that HAS TO BE MET before cps can remove a child. A cps investigator has a very small window and gets a very small glimpse of what’s going on in a family and has to make a safety assessment with what they witnesses and what info they gather. I know no one is perfect, including some cps workers….however, I can honestly say that even many family members who have nieces, nephews, grandchildren removed by cps…DO NOT HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION. .if they do not agree with cps AND the judges decision to Adjudicate a youth in need of care, they maybe missing confidential information. Having nine years of Child Welfare experience behind me, I’m here to tell you; it’s heartbreaking work, I wish there was no need for cps workers; but the reality is CPS is a very needed entity. Parents have a right to parent their children. Children have a right to a safe environment where their basic needs are met by their parents. With or without you, CPS WILL investigate and BY LAW can and will speak to your children whether you consent or not. By teaching your children to LIE, OR NOT talk about your flaws as a parent (particularly to not tell anyone you “loose it” on them or not to talk about mommy getting so drunk or high last night that she passed out leaving her 4 year old to care for the infant sibling) you are being selfish and denying your family the opportunity to get the support and services needed to create positive change in your lives. (Obviously when DV, drug and alcohol abuse and untreated mental health issues are effecting your ability to appropriately parent your children and you as the effected parent or spouse have not addressed the issue and sought help….your child has a right to talk about how it effects their life.) My advise to all parents…if cps comes to your door, by all means ask what the allegations are…be polite…we ARE just doing our job! But also, get honest with yourself…and the worker…cps would much rather work with parents, get their perspective and their understanding of why someone would suspect and make such allegations. I’ve helped many families build a support network to reduce concerns of abuse and neglect without removing children from their home and without getting the department legally involved with the family. The parents willingness to accept responsibility for their errors can go along way; resistance isn’t always the answer. Each case is different; Cps is not out to destroy families; there are many families that do that on their own…they are out there to protect children AND families…the best they can. PLEASE NOTE; I AM NOT SPEAKING AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF ANY STATE CPS DEPARTMENT.
If you do a drug test and come up clean…you’ve proven the allegations are false….they see the reporters game and will document that. If that’s the only issue, all evidence will point to your innocence and his game playing…if he continues to report and you continue to prove allegations wrong, talk to your attorney about his method of harassment and bring your letters from cps showing unsubstantiated allegations to the judge.
Will they show up if your not vaccinating your child?
My aunt temporarily lost her kids because she called the cops on her husband because he was highly intoxicated and acting crazy. Now she can’t see her kids because she tried to protect them. The system is unreal.
I wish this was here sooner. I had cps called on me 3 years ago and just got out of that last October. I was called on by someone because their daughter had touched my son so I called on her. She then, as revenge, called on me. I had no kids at home and was taking apart all the beds in the house and building new ones so the house was a wreck from that. I did none of this and ended up dealing with them for 2 years all because I had mental health issues in high school and was hospitalized for 6 months. 10 YEARS AGO. It was the worst time of my life and made me want to die more then I did in highschool. It tore my life in pieces. I lost my job had to move to another county and I lost all of my friends. Family stuck by, but that’s not the point. It was awful and I wish I knew then what I know now.
They must not need the parents permission to talk to the child because they went to my son’s school and talked to him. How can that happen?
Most states have statutes that allow CPS to meet with children at schools, day cares and other agencies without parental consent. It ensures authentic interviews free from coaching, threats and other scare tactics that some parents use on children when trying to hide abuse or neglect.
Excellent advice! I wouldn’t ASK permission to record the conversation, however, I would just do it. We also have an arrangement with some very good friends who live outside our county but within a day’s drive. They have agreed to take our children, without notice, no questions asked, if we ever feel threatened by CPS. We would do the same for them. Being outside the jurisdiction of our county is KEY.
If they came back for another visit (for instance, if they wanted to verify that there is food in the house, or that the house is clean), my husband would be home and would simply state that the rest of us are at a friend’s house.
We would NEVER EVER EVER allow them to question the children privately.
There are some states where it is in-admissible, if both parties aren’t aware. You don’t have to ask permission though, you just have to make them aware that you are doing it, thus giving them the chance to record as well.
I would say be careful with not letting them in. My husband did that once and 6 hours later they returned with the cops and a warrant and removed my kids for 5 days. I deal with cps at least 5 times a year and I have learned being nice and being compliant helps. If you don’t have anything to hide then don’t deny them anything because they will try to use that against you to.
I worked for CPS in Texas. CPS does not need a warrant, however they do have to ask permission to enter your home, otherwise violating your 4th Amendment rights. CPS doesn’t sell children and they only remove if there is clear evidence of abuse or neglect. I have seen workers make a mountain out of nothing, and I’ve also seen parents accuse each other of sexual abuse just for spite. If there is even just a slight chance abuse or neglect has occurred, and nothing is reported, any federally mandated employee, school teacher, pastor, etc. could face prison time for not reporting. Teachers and doctors are extremely hypervigilant about abuse or neglect because of this. Most of the time the information CPS is given is second or third hand information. Yes they are there to do their job. A job where they are extremely overworked, incredibly underpaid, working for an organization that doesn’t really care about its employees, only the numbers they produce. CPS is in theory a valuable service. It’s necessary…unfortunately. But it needs a lot of work. More than likely the caseworker showing up at your door got 2-3 hours of sleep the night before, and is beyond exhausted. Be kind. Just as you would to anyone. Cooperation and understanding from both sides makes for a much better encounter.
Thanks Elizabeth,
Good information. With such a complex situation, it is helpful to get your viewpoint.
Becky
Elizabeth,
I appreciate your balanced comment. As a former foster parent, I am aware of the abuses of the system. While I believe that there are many CPS workers who are honestly trying to do their job well and care for workers, there are also many who are over-worked and under-paid and/or many who don’t give a hoot about the children, just getting the money the system provides for how many children go through. I am particularly concerned as someone stated before about the low standard of parenting that is required for parents who have their children taken away from them for gross neglect/drug & alcohol abuse/domestic violence, etc. to get their children back from foster care. And yet, any false claim has to be investigated even though it is obviously trumped up for whatever reason. I believe the system needs to be overhauled on a major scale, but it would never be perfect, because we live in an imperfect world. I cooperated fully with the CPS when they showed up, even unannounced, because I was a foster parent. I even was detained at the hospital, when our 2 year old foster son injured his knee, by the CPS worker who brought a policeman with her. The policeman assured me several times that he wasn’t there to investigate me and that he had a two year old who had bruises all up and down his legs, too. We were told several times that our foster home was the best situation they had ever seen, but every time there was a report they had to investigate it. That being said, I believe that if we had children (non-foster care) still in our home, I would follow the advice given in this article. Being polite, but firm is the best way to treat people and get the best results.
Basically if I ever have an encounter with CPS, the only thing I will say to them is: “Do you have a warrant to ask me these questions about my children?” If they say no then I will politely tell them, “I know you have a job to do, but unless you have a warrant stating that you can ask these questions, then I might answer, other than that this conversation is over, and have a nice day.”
A teacher at my children’s school reported abuse because of a bruise from my kids fighting each other and cps went to the school and interviewed my kids without my knowledge. Is this legal? The case was closed and cps thought is was ridiculous but they still had to go through all the interviewing looking for anything to use against me.
Yes. CPS can make contact with children before talking to the parents. If we told parents we were coming they could easily taint any interview with the children. Some parents threaten their children and we never find out the validity of the allegations.
Before we homeschooled, the school Health Tech called CPS because my non-verbal son had a bruise. I explained the bruise, but she reported to CPS because she did not like me (my son had a doctors note for some medication that needed to be dispensed at school and the Health Tech told me that “other children have real health problems” and that she resented having to take time for my son). CPS showed up while I was out of the house. I was so angry because I realized this was a school “nurse” revenge call. This, I found out, is quite common! I met a police officer who had the same experience with the school health personnel and his special needs child. I did not want CPS in my home and I also wanted to get the meeting over with. So I asked if I could bring my son to the CPS office. They agreed. They could see right away that my son had an adventurous not-so-cooperative personality. We were shown into a small room with toys and a rocking chair. He immediately climbed all over the chair as I was answering questions. He managed to get his foot stuck in the chair and I wasn’t anywhere near him in the split second it took for that to happen. The case worker could clearly see that I was a good parent and was doing a good job. She closed the case.
Nicole, that same thing happened to me with my son! He needed to have chest PT done at school to help keep his lungs clear. The nurse resented having to take her free time to do this chest PT. I was turned in by her four times in less than two years because she said that he was sick BECAUSE he wasn’t getting his medical care. No, he was sick because he had chronic, end stage lung disease and at age 8 was already being tested to be put on the lung transplant list. Thankfully, our son’s medical team was very supportive of us and urged us to call an attorney the next time we were turned in (even they knew the nurse was being vindictive about losing her free time). I never knew that I didn’t HAVE to let the workers in so the next time one showed up, I let her in, had her remain in the front entry and called our attorney right in front of her. Her face went from prissy and condescending to conciliatory in seconds. Her words went from ‘well we’ve had another report…’ to ‘oh you really don’t need to call a lawyer about this…’ It still pisses me off, 12 years later, that this nurse could cause so much trouble because of some missing free time. I’m glad we had a 504 and special health needs special ed plan, which included this child PT, but then it was also why she reported us; she had no choice but perform the breathing treatment for my son.
I find this highly offensive as a former CPS worker. The situations you are referring to are extremely rare. In SC, CPS does not have the legal authority to place children in foster care. Only law enforcement or judges can do that. So perhaps your post should be directed at them. What you have done, essentially, by providing this information is reduced the safety of children who are at risk by giving parents ways to “get out of” an investigation. If parents have nothing to hide, why hide??
Very naive of you….
CPS is corrupt and any CPS worker that refuses to admit that the “system” fails children is part of the problem! After 4 years of caring for my daughter, her GI DR. could not explain my daughters medical problems. I finally took My daughter for a 2nd opinion and got answers on the very first visit. He did the correct tests and got to the bottom of what was going on with her. I was reported to CPS for getting my daughter “too much” healthcare after her Dr decided she was just “constipated” Did they look at the most recent medical records first? No, they chose to look at years of inconclusive testing done by a quack. I was accused of abusing my child by subjecting her to so many medical tests. Had they looked at her most recent Doctor visits and tests, it would have been obvious that getting a second opinion was absolutely crucial. My daughters colon was 5 times the size it should have been and her first Dr NEVER discovered that. Her new Dr said that there was absolutely nothing I could have done as a parent to have caused such a problem. Life was a living Hell while dealing with CPS. I was told that if one more test was done on my daughter for any reason, that she would be taken away and I would be thrown in jail.
As a pediatric nurse, I have been in many foster homes and seen more abuse than you can imagine. There is money to be made on medically needy children. I have seen them taken from wonderful families and placed in Foster care so they can be neglected and abused for the sake of making money off of them. Once in Foster care, CPS turns a blind eye to what is going on. They disregard reports from nurses that see the abuse taking place.
CPS destroys far more lives than it helps. Something MUST be done to protect children and families from this evil.
Sharese
Your story is heart wrenching. It is the kind of situation where a system has gotten out of control for all the wrong reasons. I pray both you and your daughter have found healing.
Becky
I agree with you Brooke!
I am in MO and because my kids paternal grandma used to work with DFS as a foster parent she has been able to harass me thru them for the past 13 years. Every time my kids dad and I would fight over child support or visitation dFS was at my door. I requested a change of venue to the DFS supervisor and with her feet on the desk she said,” not gonna happen! ” I asked to file a grievance and was told that they “doubted the worker said the things I said” and was refused a grievance form. I had a worker come to my house and yell and scream at me in front of my kids. My kids are not terrified of me… they are terrified of DFS! And while they are busy harassing me there are kids out there that really need help! Not all but most that I have met totally abused their power and they need to have consequences for their actions.
As a show note… once I contacted our congressman the supervisor who day with her feet on the desk was later moved from children services to senior services but is one of the heads of the pto at my kids old school. I hope the seniors can speak up as I did!
I’d like to add two more cautions: when asking about a warrant, ask to see it and be very particular when asking them if it is signed by a JUDGE. I’ve heard of a situation where CPS said they did have a warrant and flashed a blank one (not signed) in front of the family to get in.
Also, just because an officer accompanies CPS, that does NOT necessarily mean they have the authority to enter the home. Sometimes CPS requests an officer under the guise of possibly needing protection from YOU, thus looking more official.
If they actually have a signed warrant and officer, they won’t worry about standing outside trying to get your permission to enter but will push their way in.
A charter school, called on me.
Said my friend whom dropped off my son to school was drunk, and smelled like alcohol.
All I did. Was advocate that my son, as a Down syndrome child, receive a reading curriculum and books for him to continue to read.
Scary. The cps worker met my child in school immediately, he did not smell like alcohol. Nor did my friend, nor his car.
My friend was not allowed around my son for a month.
My friend never will come near us after that.
Family called once in a different state, because I told them I did not like my son being held down on the floor in school. Education is explosive at times when a parent advocates.
I advocated for 8 yrs. I homeschool now with supports.
I wish I had possessed this information 8 yrs ago, in my state and county cps does and says whatever they can to gain guardianship of minors simply because it is making the “commonwealth” a ton money. They claim they are there to help the family and work to ensure safe healthy family units, malarkey!!! The reunification process took a divorce of a 20 year marriage, one parent leaving the state, and the other moving counties only to 3 yrs later to be right back at square one. At some point are the children, 14/15, not old enough to say what is going on and where they want to be and that they have already been robbed of their childhoods with their parents because of the maliciousness of their paternal grandmother who thought she could quit working, collect a check, and there would be no lasting ramifications on her grandchildren? Well God has handled her, however my children are still suffering and will continue to. I am not so naive and I know there are certainly real families and children that need these services, but while they’re knocking on our doors, we are burying mothers and children that no-one ever took a second glance at. The best thing that can happen is that family court becomes open and then these “professionals” have to follow guidelines and be held accountable for their actions as well.
The thing that always gets me is the fact cps knows what’s best for my children? Oh really? They know so much? Then tell me my children’s birthdays, favorite food, favorite TV show, what church we attend, what is their special security (blanket or stuffed animal), favorite color, the list could go on forever!!
Thank you so much for writing this. And sharing it. We had cps called by his ex when we were trying for more visitation what a nightmare. With two kiddos with special health needs I’ve worried about our doctor calling if I’m not in total agreement with them. I will be printimg this out so if the need is ever present again i will be calm and in control.
>>Print this article out on paper.
>> Circle the parts you’ll need to refer to while they’re at the door.
(Circle them because you’ll be caught off guard and you’ll probably be trembling and the adrenaline will be flowing.)
>> Put your attorney’s phone number on it and label that phone number.
>>Put this by your front door (but hidden away so guests don’t see it but you can access it instantly)
Thanks for the article and comments. For the reminder of HSLDA!! Indeed our enemy walks about AS a roaring lion…our SAVIOR is the LION of the tribe of Judah!!
I agree with most of this, but there’s one thing I wanted to point out. When my husband’s ex wife called CPS on us, the worker went to my son’s school and spoke with him BEFORE she ever came to our house and talked to me. So saying I don’t want my kids traumatized probably won’t work in Michigan, because they’ve probably already talked to your kids workout ever meeting you first. However, the worker that we had was actually pretty awesome. She was very honest about everything, as I was with her. She knew the allegations were petty and they were thrown out right away. So we didn’t have any problems.
I am sure all cps workers are not bad. some are just naive. my friend’s son who wanted to be gang member went to school and jumped a younger child. he beat him up and was holding him down choking him. it took 3 teachers to get him off. when his father found out he did whoop him up with a belt. cps came at the request of his mother who had sent him to live with dad because of his gang involvement and selling drugs at 13. so dad says take him there is nothing I can do with him. cps said no we will not be taking him we just want to suggest some other punishment. like have him dig a hole in the yard and fill it up. ? went back home to mama. been in prison two times now. doing 10 years this time.
Let me tell you that my hubby’s vindictive ex had the CPS caseworkers filled so full of BS that we didn’t dare talk to them at all without our attorney present. They all had it in for us, until we talked to their supervisor & he found the charges unfounded. Yet nothing was done about the ex filing false charges! They will twist anything you say to use against you, we were even stalked by one of the caseworkers after the case was supposedly settled! And I could’ve lost my nursing license over the lies!
Legal Shield has 24/7 emergency access to an attorney If CPS tries to remove your children. It is in fact a very specific service they provide as it requires fast access to an attorney. This is the least expensive protection and help I know of that no family should be without. Less than $20 a month for a great Legal Protection plan. To see details go to http://www.carisamarion.legalshieldassociate.com
I by all means think people should be educated about their rights. But to say that CPS is the bad guy is ridiculous. CPS is there to protect children. Of course there are people who get involved that don’t deserve to be put on trial. That is not the fault of the CPS worker. It is their job to investigate and determine the validity of all claims. If you aren’t doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about. All of the people I know in this field would much rather keep a family together and get them the help they need before ever removing a child. If you have had a child removed it is not because you were innocent. If you have continued issues with CPS it is not because you are doing everything right. Stop blaming the system and take responsibility for your own behavior and actions.
If only it were true that “if you aren’t doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.” Unfortunately it is far from true. There are many good CPS workers. And there are some really bad ones who have terrorized and separated families for no good reason for weeks, months, or years. That is the reality. It happens.
It is certainly NOT the case that all these workers are “pro family” just as it isn’t the opposite…..which I why each parent should be vigilant. To say that being harassed by an estranged family member who disagrees with your educational route is your fault is demeaning. The fact that they have no other means to “get to us” which then leads to them accusing us of things they have no way of knowing anything about is on THEM. WE were abused as children and we’ve chosen to break away from toxic family who then stated they’d ruin our lives. We have proof of this but NO-ONE listens to this. …..we get a visit and a harassing email from a family member. simultaneously taking “credit” for doing this…..it’s a fun game to them. To say this shouldn’t affect stress us out and thus affect our children is taking very little into account. I suffer clinical depression, anxiety disorder, and PTSD as a result of abuse endured in childhood. It’s something I’m open with my girls about because I’ve gone through lots of treatment and have crying spells they see. They know it’s not their fault as much as is possible at 11, 9,& 5, because I continually tell them what has led to things that are hard for mommy…..mommy’s family has done things that have caused a lot of pain. I MISS them and wish we were still friends. It isn’t up to me. Having pain in our lives doesn’t mean we won’t heal. It’s ok to cry and ask for help when we’re sad. It’s good to comfort each other when we are sad…..
I CANNOT describe how painful it’s been to have this thing being done by someone I THOUGHT loved me. I CANNOT describe the pain of the many other steps they’ve taken to try to interfere with our lives…..the antiquated ideas about mental health that have been relayed to me along with humor over just how funny it is that they can inflict something like an investigation in the name of “educational neglect” when it is about how much they dislike us……and if THAT’S how they can “mess with us” it takes a mere phone call.
One other person has done this to us, a neighbor who dislikes us-we don’t know who and they didn’t even know our names. Attributed things to our children that were complete fabrication. Complaints was -neglect- allegedly –
-our youngest went outside in pajamas*who cares
-our kids, whom they don’t know the names of, aren’t bathed and wear dirty clothes-
*check my water bill and please don’t SAY bath in front of my kids….they would love 3 a day!
-they make noise-REALLY?
-one stood on top of a powerwheels car* we don’t have one~sorry
-we let them play outside alone…..we have a fenced yard and they are welcome to it! My 5 yo isn’t EVER allowed to go out without an older sibling……even so show me that those are illegal or in any way reasonable reasons to put a parent through the shame that comes from this?
– thankfully we are HSLDA members and so when my brother calls it takes little more than an email from our lawyer now for it to be tossed out. If our kids ARE NOT enrolled in the local public school they are not supposed to go beyond speaking to the school and asking if we are enrolled. The woman who came was mean , condescending, tried desperately to push her way into our house (even through my kids were all right there clearly visible playing a game). SHE was causing my youngest to run out the front by opening it and refusing to leave no matter how many times I asked her to go. I kept telling her my lawyer would contact her as soon as she left and I had the chance to reach him. I knew my rights as a homeschooler and that made her angry and more aggressive. I wish I had thought to record this interaction because I was very sweet to her and my actions spurned her on to trying to upset me and undermine me.
The woman and officer who came because of the “neglect” accusation were much kinder and left much sooner and acknowledged that our kids were all there,our house was nearly spotless that day, and everyone was happy….I hear it continually, especially among those who don’t send their kids to public school or who gently parent, like we do……we NEVER hit our children but we are working hard on the yelling…..it’s my goal. At least we work on it….my family members are all for hitting and disrespecting kids…..they think little of the developmental change this causes in the brain….the fact that this kind of upbringing (severe “loving spanking” sessions that were up to 40 swats at a time) was extensively harmful to me AND my 7 siblings (some can barely get out of bed daily because of the same things I’ve suffered from and none of them have sought help) it doesn’t seem to spill over into a constant endeavor to self educate and learn as much as possible to be a better mother, as it has for me. I won’t ever stop working to BE better as a parent and advocate for children who truly ARE abused…..yet we’ve been under scrutiny……all of then have been thrown out at this time but I’m afraid to let my kids even BE kids…..that is NOT the parent I want to be but apparently society wants them to just be like EVERYONE else. For us to be parents who don’t parent according to what WE have learned, but worried about how everyone else sees us and the phone calls they may decide to make if we aren’t who they want us to be. We HAVE to err on the side of caution because and I agree- NOT let these people into our home…..knowing our rights and not allowing them to enter (the second lady was fine with that and said she wanted to close our file asap as it was “ridiculous”)
If my family was in crisis and needed help and our children “hosted” while we got back on our feet I’d go to the nationwide ministry called Safe Families For Children (SFFC) which is under the umbrella of the Bethel Christian Services ministry…….please look into this ministry (no matter where you are in life) they help families without children ever having to enter the system yet their help is ALL volunteer……we are looking for many more volunteers who will offer some level of help in order to be able to offer this help to many many more families across the US and help at risk children on a larger scale……no going through courts to prove you’re good enough to get your kids back if you ever are unable to handle something in life that can happen to anyone. Loving support and mentoring….no judgement
To say “if you aren’t doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about” shows you have no prior experience with this agency. All is takes is for ONE person, JUST ONE, perhaps uneducated, untrained, unqualified individual in your child’s classroom or another child’s parent, to observe a behavior that is completely normal for the child and assume the worst. I say this because IF these individuals were educated, trained and qualified to be around children, they would KNOW what is normal and not normal. Also, many individuals (especially preschool teachers who are nothing more than warm minimum wage bodies) to ask leading questions which they aren’t qualified to do and shouldn’t be doing in the first place to rock your world with CPS. I pray you NEVER have to experience DHS/CPS at your front door!!!!!!!!
—-amen!! Agree totally with your comment!!
We home educated from K to 12 and during those years were members of HSLDA for just the reasons stated above. I wanted an attorney available if needed. We never did have cause to call but I was glad to support HSLDA – great group of folks!
Please also know you can get them off your property if your children are 25 percent native American as well. Declare it immediately upon their arrival. unless there is an emergency obvious they can not do anything but refer it to tribal courts
Actually, you have to be a card carrying member of a tribe and the tribe must be notified if children are removed per the Indian child welfare act, not upon investigation.
You are I’ll informed about the Indian Child Welfare Act. You might want to read it before posting any additional erroneous information. There is a federal act and some states have their own. Many tribes do not step in when advised of Native American children becoming the subject of CPS actions. The children who come under the prevue of ICWA either have to be tribal members or eligible for tribal membership. There is no blanket percentage under which ICWA is applied. Most cases are never transfered to tribal courts because tribes don’t have the money to take every case. Tribal representatives sometimes appear in state court on behalf of the children when cases become court involved. Other times the tribes do not become involved at all. It depends on the tribe.
Great points. Further, ICWA does not apply until eligibility has been established; i.e. not when initial contact made. Only after DHS involvement does ICWA come into play.
If DHS comes to my door and I scream that my kids are 100% ICWA eligible, that doesn’t carry weight at that moment. It is no different, at least at the initial stage, if I scream my kids are Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
This is a tough one, having had to deal with CFS/DFS through my job, once when I was in high school (reported by the parent of a former friend), and more recently, issues with my God daughter. I understand the frustration many people deal with when that knock comes. However, these men and women are not evil. As Jan Moore stated, some states do not require the need for a warrant, and I have to agree that some of the advice might cause more of a problem. The social worker is in a catch 22 situation. If they respond, it becomes a witch hunt and they are out to harm families, if they do nothing, they are called every name in the book, including child murderer, abuser, etc and many have their lives threatened by the family they are supposed to investigate. They are going on information provided to them, no matter how right or wrong. Do some act over zealous? ABSOLUTELY! But the parents sometimes do too. I’ve worked with special needs children for 20 years, and frequently deal with DFS, with good cause in many of the cases. It’s unfortunate that good families get dragged down by this, but what concerns me is how the families are dealing with the stress as far as the children are concerned. You’re supposed to be the safety net for your kids/grandkids, but many let the children witness the stress, which might lead the child/children to think THEY caused the trouble. Something to think about, how you choose to deal with it determines how a child will. In the case of my God daughter, her mother didn’t realize that her out of control behavior was hurting her daughter. It took her going through this mess and having her daughter temporarily removed from the house to snap her out of the fog she was in. Seeing a 6 year old stress eating at midnight, barely sleeping, crying in her sleep when she could sleep, that’s not good. It isn’t just physical issues that get reported, it’s emotional as well, especially if a child is displaying behavior that isn’t what is normally seen. It’s so difficult for both sides, and I am not defending any one side, but it’s just not so cut and dry as don’t do this or that. My advice to families is this:
1) Know the laws in your state and county. Each is different: example is Nevada has one set of laws but Clark county has laws that differ enough that living there, both sets were needed.
2) Stay tuned in to your child’s actions and behavior. Regardless of whether they are home schooled or not, if something is wrong, signs will show up in behavior, words, drawings, etc. There may be an issue with a teacher, a friend, a family member. Yes even children can have these issues.
3) Don’t be afraid to ask a teacher, preacher, relative, whoever to watch out for concerning behavior.
4) Don’t be afraid to ask for counselling services if need be. Over half of the cases through work were because no one asked for help when they got overwhelmed and I frequently saw kids not being bathed in dirty clothes and it turned out that there was a terminal illness in the family and the parent was too stressed and thought someone else was doing it. Many social workers want to help. They just go about it the wrong way. And like my God daughter’s mom, she wasn’t willing to ask for help until the worst had happened.
The reality is this: yes current society is hyper sensitive to the topic of abuse, with cases like Casey Anthony, it’s not a wonder as to why. Just some things to think about from the perspective of a parent, teacher. Oh and FYI: it’s Federal Law that requires teachers and medical professionals to report suspected abuse/neglect, it’s not a personal choice. It’s a part of our jobs….
The problem is that while professionals may be “required to report suspected abuse/neglect,” they are also being given the authority to define & set the parameters of abuse & neglect. Is it neglect to go out & hang your laundry on the line for a few minutes out of earshot of the baby monitor of your sleeping baby? CPS says “yes”. I had a conversation with a police officer once about leaving kids in cars. In New York State, I was surprised to discover there is no law about leaving kids in cars. It’s not illegal. However, I know someone who ended up in a 6 month CPS tailspin because they left their 2 children in the car for 5 minutes to run into the store to get some milk. Now personally, as stated above since we live in a hyper sensitive culture, I might not make that choice for that reason alone. But it was amazing in talking to the police officer how “discernment” and “common sense” of the parent vs. the police officer might come to blows. That’s why movements to protect parental rights are so important – because when it comes to “best interest of the child”, the parent’s definition of that should carry more weight than the government’s.
In response to, “What to do if CPS shows up at your door,” with a vaccination spin-off.
I am directly involved with dependency law in one of the 50 states. The government agency I work for provides legal counsel to DHS throughout our state. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose more than it is an area of law that I actively work in and understand. With that said, this is my humble opinion and comes from someone who is not a fan of DHS, and my family and I are anti-vaccine.
I am posting this because I think a lot of misinformation spreads, but I also think there is value in thinking of and addressing these issues addressed above.
*In order to keep this short and on point I am going to summarize law and omit the levels of DHS involvement, ranging from: initial call, shelter hearing, jurisdiction, and termination of parental rights.
About 95% of cases DHS becomes involved in are egregious. When I say egregious think of drug addicted parents passed out leaving their children unattended. If DHS receives a call they, DHS, must decide whether the call warrants a 24 hour response or up to a 10 day response. The immediacy of harm dictates the response time. So, simply because someone refuses to vaccinate their child should never be the sole reason that DHS is ever involved, except mandatory responding to an allegation of abuse or neglect. As others have stated false calls occur, but if a reporter were to call in because a child is not vaccinated that would likely warrant a 10-day response or no response at all (central DHS may close it without any involvement). Unless unvaccinated is only a small part of a larger neglect and abuse case DHS would not remove the child. They, DHS, does not have the resources nor do they want to separate families, especially good families. A parent need not be a good parent, but must be minimally adequate. Minimally adequate is a VERY low bar to meet and simply not vaccinating, when not compounded by other issues, would not cause us as parents to fall bellow that threshold. So, if someone were to call DHS because my children are not vaccinated that report would either be closed before DHS came to my residence, or they would show up, see everything is ok, and close the report as unfounded.
There are exceptions, but those exceptions are few. I have heard of a few; specifically from one county in our state, but even those have neglect or abuse amounting to way more than not vaccinating. So, while I think we do live in a society of hypersensitivity, simply not vaccinating causes me zero worry about DHS involvement.
Because the standard required to remove a child requires proof of “immediate threat of harm,” not vaccinating does not satisfy the criteria and would not cause removal. If removed, the child, absent more proof of neglect, would be returned within 24 hours at the shelter hearing (in our state a shelter hearing must occur within 24 hours of a child being removed).
As far as police involvement: some counties operate with police for each investigation. That means the DHS employee coming to investigate will have a police officer there to assist if needed, but the police officer does not necessarilly have a warrant or reasonable suspicion to enter. Other times DHS comes without police. The DHS employee is addressing the report that came in and looking to see if “imminent or immediate harm” is present. Absent that they have no grounds to remove the child. While I do not provide legal advice, only opinion, I would not be hostile towards DHS or the police. Both have a hard job and neither agency wants to take custody unless they have to. So, unless I had crack pipes in reach of my children, had a needle sticking out of my arm, or was living in a “hoarder house,” I wouldn’t really worry about them investigating. If anything I believe allowing them to investigate shows your willingness, and of having nothing to hide. I think we often become overly vigilant in protecting our “rights,” which we are free to do, but sometimes exercising those rights snowballs the situation. Personally, I wouldn’t call a lawyer because if they, DHS, came because I chose not to vaccinate my kids there is nothing a lawyer can really tell them that I can’t. And, that is more time for things to escalate and will likely result in them having to return another day because they were not able to properly address the situation to ensure whether it should be a founded or unfounded allegation.
My personal suspicions and animosity of DHS, or any other government agency for that matter, has not been validated by my position working in the realm of dependency law. If anything, I have found that more often that not people who should not have access to their children remain parents, DHS goes above and beyond offering services to try and rehabilitate families, and vaccines are not an issue. The gray area of dependency law, that being the courts attitude and inability to establish more bright lines of what satisfies neglect, are more problematic than DHS. But, that could change tomorrow if one of those 1 in a million cases comes across my desk.
Just my humble opinion. And, sorry for turning this into an anti-vaccine issue, but that is where I see a lot of people becoming more uneasy, but it is not a cause of concern that I have witnessed, yet.
Thank you for your comment – very helpful and encouraging to me, a former investigator turned crunchy mom. I’ve been so paranoid – but what you’ve said is so true. Most investigators don’t remove kids unless there is a really egregious situation…it is a LOT more work to shelter! Making it a power struggle by not allowing investigators speak with the kids will only make things worse – speaking from personal experience.
Very well put! I think it’s good for people to be informed of what our mandate actually is. And for the most part I believe our mandates are followed. There are many checks and balances where I work to ensure we are doing what we are supposed to.
As stressful as it is to remove a child from their home sometimes what causes me the most stress is knowing just how many children live in homes with caregivers with very minimal parenting skills. The children are loved and have their basic needs met but are treated poorly at times and/or are provided with a non-stimulating environment that will set them up for failure in later life. And then the cycle continues.
We as CPS cannot really do much because there is not imminent or immediate danger and we realize that the trauma of removing a child from their parents could be even worse than growing up in a not-so-great environment.
It makes me upset when people try to give the impression that we just go out and try to grab as many kids as possible, when the reality is we probably close files because there is nothing we can do.
Mark
Thanks for sharing your expertise. I am truly encouraged to learn of people like you honorably working for the good of families and children. In a perfect world everyone would parent well and every foster family would be 100% altruistic in providing a place for children. The reality is that many children experience a poor home environment, but also that many children who end up in the system have life-long trauma. Not all CPS departments have your high morality and not all foster homes have the best interests of children at heart. Case workers generally have very high case loads and it is impossible to protect and help every child. There is also known corruption in the system in some areas involving very high levels which makes it impossible to give justice to every child and family.
I don’t have all the answers. But I am encouraged to know of people like you seeking to implement honesty and integrity in every family you deal with.
Becky
This is all Great information to have! Thank you for posting! My question is, what do you do if CPS goes to the school? It’s been years since they’ve messed with us, they Know I don’t play into their nonsense, but there’s a lot of uneducated parents that need a heads up. They kept harassing my kids at school even After the judge kicked them off the case and out of the court room. I recorded Every phone call & had the recorder visible when they were talking. Now the table was turned and she was irrate…lol Live & learn! Back to the school question tho…?
I wish I would have read this a year ago. My husband and I had our 3 kids, all under age of 4, put in foster care Nov 7. They do twist and manipulate everything. These have been the most painful 8 months of my life! CPS keeps pushing me to divorce my husband and now tell me I have slim chance of getting them and there never were allegations of abuse or talk of abuse, the worst thing they have on us is that our marriage is not perfect, who’s is? My poor babies cry every time our visits are over and my 4 year old son tells me he hates missing me. My heart has been so broken since he said that last month. I cry daily thinking of my munchkins having to be away from their Mom and not understand whats going on.
They showed up at my kids school and interrogated them i passed everything my wife had hydrocodon in her system and that said i gave them which is a total bs my daughter said daddy i knew in my heart they were cps but they lied to her and would not tell her and now my kids are in state custody and i passed everything man the investigator lied on the stand wtf piece of XXXXXXX xxxx.
Hi Kristins that is awful. I live in Melbourne Australia so I don’t know your legal system. There must be something you can do to get them back. If you petition someone I would sign the petition.
I don’t know how the system works but my immediate reaction would be to get media and public support but I don’t know if that would make it worse. I am sure you would get an outcry from the community and they would need to give you back your children.
Can you take legal action?
There must be something you can do. I would probably ask the person who wrote the initial post, she looks like she knows what she is talking about.
It must feel debilitating but I am sure if you are doing the right actions then you will get your children back. I would write to your local MP, it’s disgusting and I feel for your children. I would write a letter to your local MP as well.
What was there reason for taking them away? Surely they can’t do that without a court case.
In my religion we have a saying florish and prosper, even though this is most terrible thing you could do to a parent, do well yourself and if you are earning money and providing a loving and safe environment for you and your husband you will have the means to pay for a good lawyer and if you tick all the boxes like secure job, loving family, safe home etc. then why wouldn’t a judge rule in your favour. With so many kids you would want your husband to have the secure job, but you could show initiative and do an online course like accounting to bring in income in the future. A friend of mine was not allowed to see his child due to the other parent telling the authorities lies about abuse. After a year, he spent the year doing well in his own life he paid for a good lawyer and got his children back. Obviously these people are working at putting you down, even though it is terrible what’s occurred try also flourish and prosper and in the end you will win. Don’t succumb.
If this agency is saying that you are doing something you are not just show evidence against it which wipes out their argument out of the water. For one you could possible record videos on your phone the reaction that occurs when you leave your children after visits.
Both men and women in society have a strong primate drive to look after mankind and I am sure a jury seeing children upset from being taken away from their Mom will give you back your kids in a flash. If I was in the jury panel I would be mad and would totally defend you and your rights and get you back your kids.
Good luck!
Kristina if you dont have the money you could also write to all the lawyers in your area and ask them to help you, tell them your story and say you will arrange a payment plan for their services.
Someone might take on your case. If you had media and public following you I am sure a law firm would be wanting to take on your case as a pro bono case. You could also ask the lawyers for a referral if they didn’t want to take on the case do they know anyone who could. In Australia we have a service called Legal Aid, the governement pays for your first visit, you can see if there is one in America in your area. You need someone who can advise you on what to do to get back your children.
My thoughts are with you. Good luck!
Pingback: What to do if CPS Shows up at Your Door / Journey Boost | Protective Mothers' Alliance International
I’ve had them called on me before by my ex husband. Falsely accused of using drugs and abusing my child. After one failed attempt to reach me at home, they went to my son’s daycare center and spoke with him without my knowledge or consent! I had no idea until a few days later a teacher told me because my son had begun to distance himself from the class. I called and made them come to my house that day and explain themselves. The case was dropped within a week.
cps went to head start concerning my granddaughter on a complaint from her father. she had gotten out of the high chair she was strapped in at my daycare (knew how to unbuckle the strap and remove the tray as did all the kids in my daycare). so cps asked my granddaughter what happened to her forehead. she fake cried and said my daddy hit me. so we explained that no, he had not hit her, but the table turned!
We have three biological kids and are also licensed as a foster/adoptive home. Earlier this year I had to report an incident that occurred between my son and our oldest foster son (completely innocent and was dropped immediately by Investigations). Unbeknownst to me though, that another department of CPS still had the report (Licensing) and came and talked to my son at school without my permission. (They came to my house and had to have written permission to talk to my girls).
As it turns out, if they can catch your kids away from you – they don’t have to have permission.
I am pretty much never a “Momma Bear” but this turned me into one fast. I went straight to her supervisors, contacted Congressmen, made others aware on social media.
Lesson learned: make sure your kids know they don’t have to talk to anyone (and make sure your school knows this too)
In NYS, schools do not allow anyone to enter the building without a valid reason and ID, and they aren’t allowed beyond a certain point. Students are not called to speak to anyone but the parents/care givers who are on their list.
—man, I wish I had known this!!! Every time I had been reported for “abusing” my grandson, they sent out someone from DCF to his school to talk to him WITHOUT my knowledge! I was enraged! He’s only 7 and he had no idea he didn’t have to say anything. He made up stuff and lied several times and then when he does tell the truth it doesn’t matter. They still come to your home! It ridiculous. There are people that leave their kids home alone for hours, use drugs in front of them, manufacture meth in the home and even kill their kids and nothing is done to protect those kids!
I had them in my home for it being unclean and the case worker said the house was fine and the case would be dropped and left. About a month later the case worker came to the school and questioned my kids, claiming that she was told to be sure, by her supervisor. I lived in a very socially correct town and I was forever seen as the parent who had CPS show up to question my kids. I didn’t know she did that until she accidentally let it slip. She came back to the house unannounced, which was clean, and said once again that the case would be closed. I let her in both times and the second time she apologized profusely. Even though she seemed like she didn’t want to be there, she still tried everything she could to get me to say something that could have been used the wrong way. The second time, she asked me about my sister, who lived with us, and her relationship with her boyfriend because the kids said they yelled a lot. My kids being raised by me were supposed to be in danger of my sister and her boyfriend arguing, not hitting or even screaming, but arguing. I simply told the worker that I would let my sister know her bedroom walls were thin and to take the few arguments she had outside. After she left the second time stating again that she was closing the case, I decided to call the office multiple times to make sure the case was really closed.
Very good advise…but if you will include the fact that not even opening the door to speak to them and if you happen to, hand them your attorney’s card and tell them to call him to set up an interview in his office if they are having to do an interview with you. You do not have to let them talk to the kids unless they have their attorney. Put ‘No trespassing’ signs outside, with the statutes so there is no question if they won’t leave or if they stand outside knocking, even if they have the police, they cannot come in without a warrant. They cannot get a warrant on an anonymous call because it needs probable cause. If they call and don’t have your address, do not go to their office for interview. Change your number and only give out your new number to very few family and you will know if they get your number again, who has made a false allegation. Go to fightcps.com, she gives great advice on what to do, but basically, all the above is good, but never answer any questions, don’t give them any information. If you ask what the allegations are and they say that they can’t tell you, they must come in to talk about it….you know they are wanting to come in and ‘find something’ and most of the time it is insane. If they do tell you it is supposedly abuse, take your child to the Dr. telling them you will call for them to interview you as right now you are busy. Take the child and have a physical done showing on paper that your child is fine, no bruises or injuries as such the allegations can be proven false. If they show up again, do not answer the door. They lose immunity if they lie to a judge and say something to get a warrant as it was decided that in federal court that they cannot get one for anonymous calls. Also, put a sign and a camera out front, even if it isn’t working, put a sign that you are recording…’Smile, you are being recorded’. It was stated in federal court that even if the anonymous call was about abuse, they still need probable cause…so if you let them in, or are coersed, you have given up your 4th amendment right and they lose immunity, the cops should know this too. They can both be sued in court for they lose immunity if they break your 4th amendment rights and or lie to a judge. The 4th amendment goes for all states, and parents cannot just let these people in, thinking that of course you have nothing to hide, and you know you are good parents but these people are not here to prove the allegations wrong, and will take the kids away for just about any reason…this agency has become a racket, kids for profit and selling out the kids to get the Title IV subsidies. There is also a class action lawsuit going on right now too…along with in some states, other ones being filed. http://www.nationallibertyalliance.org/search/node/cps%20class%20action%20lawsuit Be firm and be nice, but suggest you just do not open the door or tell them anything. If they see no trespassing signs and still won’t leave, you can call the police and press charges, also record everything…especially if you are already involved in a case and you must journal or videotape everything, have a sign on your door so they know this is going on and if they have any objections then they may not ever enter your home because they know they are doing something illegal and don’t want it to be recorded. They only have qualified immunity. They can be sued so keep in mind that if they lie, do anything without consent they can and will lose their immunity in a lawsuit. They are harming kids, not helping them and the ones needed taking away rarely do. They are only suppose to remove in rare cases of imminent danger, but have been seeing alarming numbers of removals for things like dishes in sink, ants, crayons on the floor, clutter in home…ridiculous and in no way does it put the child in danger. RECORD, I cannot stress enough for you to record every interaction you have with them. Even if the law states you cannot record them without your permission, you have a right to record in your home, and if they see the sign, they are giving permission by entering and talking to you. They are not your friends and are not in the best interest of the child, no matter how nice they are, and they bring the police for their benefit. It is not to make you comply, it is for their protection. If the officer is smart, he will acknowledge to the case worker that your rights to not even open the door are law, and he cannot force you to talk to them….parents know your rights. If you can, always get legal advice and have someone who can speak to them if they try to force their way into the home. Like they did in California, parents do have rights and you are gonna have to fight for them and stand up to them. This is how a lot of parents have lost their kids, they trusted these case workers…they are wolves…they will huff, and puff…but cannot come in without consent. Hope this helps, and good luck!
This is awesome I wish I had known all of this 2-14-07, when my nightmare began. Mine have all been returned and case closed with no other issues, but it was hell and all alleged reasons for them being removed, on Valentines Day around 7:30 pm. All my kids hate Valentines Day to this day, because of that.
Thank you for your very informative and true information. I, and my daughter, 7 at the time, were victims of this “horrific child kidnapping scam” backed by our government. In short, my daughter being a “special needs” child (type 1 diabetic) was taken from me, with the assistance of my oldest daughter & her “boyfriend” at the time. Now, after years of trying to fight, lost my parental rights and my oldest daughter and her “now husband” has adopted my baby girl. Now, as she was turning 17, and daughter’s husband’s inappropriate behavior, she was cast out, and they (the new parents) don’t want to have anything to do with her! After adopting her, they throw her out like she was garbage?? How can this have been better? Because my baby girl came forward with the shame of her new “daddy” molestation and sickness, she was removed from the home, sent to another state, and discarded. It just breaks my heart that my child has had to go through all this. I wish I had known all this critically important information from the start,,,,, :+(
Yeah I was stupid and let them into my house everytime and let them take pics. My caseworker was so thirsty to take my kids from me. My ex abused me, verbally and mentally. He made me think I was a pos and no one loved me. He made me feel like I wasn’t even worthy of my own kids. So I woke up and had him removed from our house and got a restraining order. Well me being stupid he came back and I dropped the restraining order cause he promised me in front of the kids he would do better and go to anger management classes. Well I had forgot I needed to talk to my case worker about it. He didn’t live with us just yet. So one night he stopped by and it was storming so bad and I needed formula for my daughter and I didn’t see a need in dragging the kids in the rain so he went and got it for me. He got back and dropped it off and was standing in the hallway by the front door and low and behold, there was cps knocking on the door. Well they came in and saw him standing there soaking wet with the bags in his hands. The guy discussed with us that we didn’t notify dhs that anything had changed. But the guy made a new plan since he was not living there and that him being there to drop off the formula was ok since it was bad outside. Well the next day a caseworker volenteered to take my other two kids to school. They begged me to let her and she was very nice asking how everything was and about him being there last night so I told her about it and she said oh well then that’s ok then. So she took them. Well I waited outside in the rain holding my two babies and an umbrella, no kids off the bus. So I go in and I had to leave my phone there cause my hands were full. She called and left a messege saying for me not to forget about court at such and such time. There was no court per notification before that point and I was so pissed off. So I called the court and told them I was not notified in a timely manner or at all til this minute of court. The secretary said that didn’t sound right at all I should have been notified. So all I could do was be on the phone and hear and answer questions. Unbenonced to me my Flippin attorney quit that day so some young girl came in her place. She knew nothing but what she could read in 20 minutes??!! So I had to stand there with my daughter in my arms and listen and be helpless and hear the judge order all 5 of my kids be removed and adopted. They made me bring in the rest of my kids to dhs at 900 pm and the first two I never saw them again but only for 2 dam visits then 3 of them went to Washington 2 in Montana.
I had a case with dhs cause I went in and told them I needed help very badly. They told me that I had nothing to worry about .. haha wrong! They used everything they could against me! I didn’t know where to turn! It’s been 5 years now and I don’t know a shitting thing about my babies nothing. So if you think for one minute they are there to help. . My god dont!
Ok, maybe I am trolling but I cannot in good conscience let some of these comments go. You are honestly saying that kids were removed for crayons being on the floor? Or for dirty dishes in the sink? The classic I usually here is “CPS took my kids away because I had a glass of wine at Christmas” while in reality they were passed out drunk while their 2 year old wandered outside in freezing cold weather.
People who are reading this, I can assure you that in Canada this will never happen. If there is some sort of bizarre concern related to crayons being on the floor I would simply ask the parent, “Could you please pick those up and put them out of the reach of the child? Thank-you, see you later.”
I cannot help but think some posts like this one are complete and utter BS made by people who have done some harm to their children. Maybe I am wrong but this is the impression I get.
You mentioned that social workers are only supposed to remove in rare cases of imminent danger and you are absolutely right. I have been doing this for just less than a decade and I can tell you my average of removing kids from a family is one case per year! Yes, 1 per year. Some years have been more than 1 and some have been zero, but at a rate of 1. Some of my colleagues averages would be a bit higher but some are also lower. And while I agree it is traumatic to have even done it this time it would have likely been more traumatic for the children if it hadn’t been done.
I am guessing by the passion of your post I will never change your mind, but people who read this please do not follow the majority of this advice.
As I mentioned in another post, I honestly never want to “find anything” that’s not there when I go into the home.
Common advice throughout these comments and the main article is not to let CPS in your home. As a fairly experienced worker let me tell you when the best time to follow that advice is:
-If you are operating some sort of grow-up or meth lab in your home.
– If there are clear signs of drug use in your home such as drug paraphernalia or a strong smell of marijuana
– If you have animal feces all over your floor or rotting food all over the place, broken glass all over, dangerous weapons within a child’s reach or some sort of unsafe sanitary conditions (even in these cases we will often request you have the children stay with an appropriate friend or reative somewhere until you are able to properly clean it and then we can come back to see if it’s safe for the children to return).
– If there are obvious signs of domestic violence in your home such as holes punched and kicked in walls, phone cords ripped out, etc.
– You have your husband/wife in the home who is under court order not to be in the home.
This should pretty much cover it. Otherwise, you are pretty safe to let workers see the home. If these are not concerns that are reported I typically have no problem if the parent doesn’t let me in the home and wishes to talk to me outside or meet me back at my office. I understand the feeling of someone dropping by unexpected and being slightly embarrassed because you weren’t expecting someone and the house is a bit of a mess. And I can also acknowledge it may feel creepy to let a stranger in your home.
So basically the advice given by many on this thread will help you if you are growing, trafficking or using drugs in your home, or if your home is unsanitary enough to cause harm to your children. Or if you have a violent offender living in the home who is court ordered not to be there. If this is the situation then by all means follow the advice of the article and don’t cooperate. You may be in trouble. Unjustly of course.
If you are a decent human being and have nothing to hide you may want to consider letting the worker in. If you start asking about warrants, right or wrong, you will probably look guilty.
Mark
I understand the difficulty you have in believing some of the accounts. You have experienced fabrications of stories by families and have learned to discern the reality. Unfortunately, in some areas there is deep corruption and good families have experienced horrific things. This information is not commonly known. You might want to investigate the detailed evidence in just one case of child exploitation with government departments complicit in The Franklin Scandal.
Evil exists in the world. Sometimes it is parents harming their children. Sometimes it is individuals preying on innocent children and harming families. It takes a lot of discernment to differentiate.
Thanks for your participation. It is great to know there are social workers of your caliber working for the protection of children.
Becky
Thank-you Becky.
I do want people to know that not all CPS workers are out to get their children or trick them into getting into trouble.
I am also aware that there are some workers out there who are not the best to deal with and can make families feel more scared than they should. There have a been a couple of occasions where I have been embarrassed with how confrontational another worker was being when I assisted them.
I understand that not all families will react calm and cooperative when we show up at the door. It’s almost a concern when families act too nonchalant about us coming. I find this mostly with families that are used to us coming and seem to not even care anymore. I definitely take into consideration when a family has never had us come out or a family who I know has had a bad experience with us. I have had a few experiences with families where the initial encounter was terrible but we were able to get past it pretty quickly. I do understand people freaking out that there are allegations they are abusive. Thankfully, I can honestly say that the clients who end up being at least somewhat cooperative far outnumber those who are aggressive, belligerent and threaten harm against me (it can be a dangerous job for us sometimes).
I work in Alberta, Canada and there are efforts being made to improve our system. We are calling for a more community approach and try to encourage people in the community such as schools, medical professionals and neighbors to attempt intervention first before calling us (unless the risk is deemed severe or the child is in imminent danger).
An example of this approach is for schools to try dealing with parents themselves first before calling us. If a school is worried about a child not being fed or clothed properly or a child talking about stress at home it is best if they can try to approach the families to see if there is support they can use because usually the families will trust the schools more than they trust us.
If communities can try to intervene in a more natural way that can help alleviate calls to CPS (and can also help us focus on the families who need our intervention). We as workers also groan sometimes when we read the report of files we get wondering why the doctor, nurse, neighbor or teacher couldn’t just try to deal with this issue before calling us right away. Of course sometimes they do have to call and some do call after trying to intervene first.
So obviously it is an imperfect system but it is important to know that there are many good CPS workers out there and many who actually do care and that in some jurisdictions in Canada and likely the U.S. the government is looking for ways to improve the system.
Thanks again for your feedback and kind words
Thank you for this information, I’ve seen the way CPS tears families apart. My cousin had 3 kids adopted because she’s, as the say, “slow mentally”. There was no drugs or drinking, no abuse, just poor, living in a dry cabin, with their dogs, cats and their son.
Over 2 years, never one counseling session together with their son! Visitation was in a small cramped room, with nothing to entertain a child for 1 hour. CPS rescheduled visits so then they missed seeing their son that week. If they would have missed a meeting, they would have been accused as being neglectful??
They both did everything asked of them, moved to a place with water, got rid of some of their animals, went to classes, had unannounced visits to make sure their house was “clean enough” really?? After all that, 2 years later
The stories are horrific!!
What happened to working to bring families back together?
More people need info like this. I am dealing with CPS right now and while I was speaking with them they tried to tell me my son had a bruise, one bruise mind you. The kid is 6 yrs old the fact that he had one bruise is pretty amazing for a young kid. The thing is, there was no bruise at all and they tried telling me it was yellow and purple. Nope, no bruise. They will make stuff up and bully and badger you to get what they want. They have zero interest in the safety of your children and only want the power rush they get from controlling you and messing with your life. I had to quit my job because of this. They ruin lives.
They do ruin lives.
They sure do. i have a 14 yr old who’s autistic tall and very skinny. at the time he was 12 he was only 53pds way under weight but he was on stimulant meds which compress ur appetite so he never wanted to eat…the doc never had nor seen a issue with his weight..he was proscribing his meds monthly, cps got called on us as my son was sick so i took him to the er and they turned us in…came to my house accusing me and my husband of not feeding him..no proof of any of their accusations.just hearsay..contacted all our resources his doc, therapist, my family…then all of a sudden his doc of 5 yrs that were prescribing his stimulant meds claimed he was sooo worried bout his weight…what…r u serious u never once said that….well every time my son seen him i got a paper on what was treated that day..said adhd…nothing about weight etc. Well thank god i kept them papers so i got a lawyer to get em off our backs…they the cps took us to court for inadequate food, housing and clothing, inhumane treatment and drugging him with meds…well short story we won the case then turned around and sued his doc and cps we won too…so dont ever trust them nor ur doc or anyone ur seeing for help they will turn on u fast
How did you sue them and win? I have never heard about this happening.
My son is very thin, as well, and on the spectrum. My kids take after their daddy and I. I didn’t break 100 lbs until AFTER high school! Our doctor showed concern a year ago about my son’s weight. When I explained our family history, she said, “Oh, ok. I won’t worry about it then.” But a year later her tune changed. She said she had been very concerned about his weight. My mommy radar was going off!! I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I already have a bullseye on my back because we stopped vaccinating after he had numerous adverse reactions to vaccines and became injured. I’m currently looking for another doctor.
If they say there’s a bruise ask where, have them show you, but they don’t touch your child and then take pics of the alleged bruise with a piece of paper in the picture stating date, time social workers name if more problems …..seriously call the police you are being harassed but document everything. We always had either a lawyer or family member around and got signatures.. we also contact ed her boss and ss and yold them how we were giung to run our investigation. We went overboard on our side and she backed off, we did nothing wrong just a relative getting back at us after we fired them from our business for stealing from us.
Yes they are famous for using scare tactics, which are illegal.
As a social worker it drives me crazy to read some of this stuff. I really take offense to some of these comments. Maybe it’s a completely different system down in the U.S. ( I am in Canada) and CPS can just make stuff up but I really find it hard to believe some of the stories that people’s kids were taken for no reason at all
I don’t know you Michelle or all the circumstances but you also don’t know me or all social workers.
I can honestly say that I have no interest in bullying or badgering people or controlling or messing with anyone’s life. When you refer to “they” it sounds like you are labeling all of us as the same. I have met very few CPS workers who have “zero interest” in the safety of your children. This is a ridiculous statement. Anytime people use numbers like zero or 100% it is usually safe to say it’s an exaggeration.
I don’t seem to experience the power rush you say we get from messing with people. You may find it hard to believe but I feel bad for even the worst parents when I have to “interfere” in their lives.
I’m sure there are some bad social workers out there as there are bad people in every profession but typically the families I have to be intrusive with have already ruined their own lives. I just have to make the tough decision that something needs to be done about it.
As a CPS worker I deal often with kids who show up at school with bruises. Usually a kid with a bruise who gets reported is in a situation where the bruise looks remarkably suspicious or if a child reports their mom, dad or caregiver hit them. Often by the time CPS gets out and talks to the kid the story changes to it was an accident or it was a sibling or some tangible explanation. There are times of course when the child will tell me that it was their parent who hit them. By showing up and surprising the parent we are not trying to use some sort of “trick” but obviously feel we will get the most credible account by speaking to people before they would have a chance to make something up. I had a similar experience very recently. The child was quite young and even though they were insisting it was the mother who hit them to leave a scratch on their face, I had a sense this was not true. The child also reported at one point that they fell and switched back and forth.
I went to the home “unannounced” and thankfully the mother did not follow all the advice of the writer of this article or there would have been unanswered questions. Yes the mother was surprised, asked me questions to which I answered and asked to see my id, but she let me in and gave a reasonable explanation as to how the child obtained her bruise/scratch. I then was able to interview the father who arrived home after I spoke to the mother. He gave me the same story as the mother and as they hadn’t had a chance to devise some sort of story I believed them. Case was closed that day. This was due in large part to them being cooperative and letting me in their home. Also because of their stories corroborated without them having a chance to make something up. And also because the child didn’t give a consistent disclosure about being hit.
As evil as you think we may be, this was an awesome day for me. Forget about the fact that the child was not in danger. Let’s just assume I have zero interest in that as you allege. I was happy because it was an easy file that was done with. I got to go home and be with my own wife and children on time (which doesn’t always happen). So while I didn’t get the sadistic power rush of ruining a family’s life I got to go home in time and enjoy mine and it was a file I could finish with little work.
At my most selfish when I am going out on these files I am hoping there is some sort of reasonable explanation for the report and that it’s all a big misunderstanding. The kid reports they were lying to the person who reported, the parents have a reasonable explanation and everyone is happy. It is so much more work for me if the concern is substantiated in any way or looks really suspicious. It can go from a file that takes one day to consuming your next 2 – 3 weeks if it turns out to be a clear case of abuse. And you still get assigned the same number of files whether you get the easy or hard ones. No social worker in their right mind wants to find trouble where there is none.
Again, if you don’t believe it’s because we care, then you can at least believe it’s because we are lazy and don’t want to do extra work.
And I will also admit that I fall into the same trap as judging a certain set of people as you do. While you seem to be judging all CPS workers I find it hard not to be stereotypical of parents who claim CPS messed with their family for no reason. In my experience, people who are abusive to their children are not always the most honest and will sometimes stretch the truth by saying CPS became involved for no reason.
Mark
Thank you for providing your viewpoint. I like your story and the fact that the mother asked for your credentials and was able to cooperate so that you were able to close the investigation quickly. I have raised five children and maintain a great relationship with them to this day. I haven’t been perfect, but I feel like I did a good job. I cannot imagine having you arrive at my door to question me about a bruise on my child, knowing that you had the power to remove my child, or children from me. There are no perfect parents and the thought of knowing I was trying to prove I was perfect – or at least good enough for you – could easily send me into a panic.
I have been incredibly surprised to see how many views this particular blog has generated – nearly 600,000 to date. To me this speaks of a deep fear and distrust of the “system” and a desire to be prepared. Many times parents react in a very angry, irrational manner when challenged about their children by someone they believe is powerful. The intent of the original blog is to help parents realize they need to take any inquiry by CPS seriously, but by maintaining a polite respectful attitude they will have a better outcome. Information on parental rights is valuable to many. It is hoped that parents can reduce the panic by being prepared. Not every personality type handles a surprise visit from CPS well – and not because they have something to hide. The attorneys quoted and those who have responded in the comments have found themselves representing families who have gotten caught up in a system and it has become very difficult in many cases, to help get their children extricated from it. Some of the commenters have mentioned that there are ‘system design faults’ which actually encourage the removal and placement of children based on federal reimbursements. This may be specific to the USA and particular states.
I don’t have any idea of the percentage, but the truth is, some good parents do have their children removed.
Thanks again for your insight. I am glad to know there are many people like you working for the good of families.
Becky
Wish i had known this sooner…
I wish i would have read this b4 what had happened to me and my fiance our lifes are torn apart
I am seeing this on a thread from a Facebook group for grandparents raising grandchildren. Many if us already have CPS aka DHS in our lives and homes constantly. What do you do????? They are like working with the devil!!! I live in constant fear that the children will be taken from me and (sold) given to another family to adopt. They manipulate, lie, & twist everything around to the negative. They will not leave my grandson alone and have caused him irreversible harm. Where do they find these employees that will do this kind of work for little pay???
Rathena
I am so sorry for all you have gone through. I pray you will find hope and help in navigating through this situation. I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers, but I believe Jesus Christ can enter our lives and impart wisdom, understanding and protection. I pray your grandsons will find healing and strength through Jesus so that he can rise to be a leader in his generation. Truly we live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, as Paul said of the time he lived, but we are called to shine like lights and spread the fragrant aroma of Jesus to all those who are lost. You have been given a difficult task. I pray you will find strength and endurance. Becky
In our case CFS was very involved in getting us permanent custody of our grandson 15 years ago. They were very helpful and supportive. I was concerned about how they would react to our homeschooling until I found out that the caseworker was a grandmother raising her grandchildren and homeschooling them. I have remained alert to this issue through the years, but it has never been a problem. They have just left us entirely alone. As someone said, I guess it just depends on the caseworker and the local system. And maybe whether you have any enemies.
I am currently doing a ICPC to get my grandchildren here with me. I started this nightmare September 19th. After the paternal grandparents put the kids into foster care. Now the kids are back with the paternal grandparents and I’m still getting the run around. Meanwhile my grandson is having a terrible time and they want to blame it all on my daughter. Granted she isn’t perfect but damn that’s her little boy and all he wants is to be with his mommy. What is the name of this Facebook group I would like to join? CPS is a joke in my book.
~~~I have the same situation as you. I am guardian of my grandson and have been visited by DCF about 6 or 7 times in 3 years. He is special needs and has several other diagnosis’ and he’s clumsy and a boy. He has had bumps, scrapes, bruises and cuts from playing or whatever. But someone at his school is relentless in thinking that I am abusing him. Even if I pointed out and explained to his teacher or principal the injury I was still turned in for abuse. Had to go thru the interviews and hoops and what not and every single instance was “unsubstantiated”. I am convinced that if he was blood related I would not have any of these problems. I wish I would have known these tips before now. I always thought to be cooperative so there wouldn’t be any more problems. The caseworker has no idea what mental problems this child has and had no interest in knowing any of his back ground. I think she thought he was being a brat when there was reason why he is the way he is. (ADHD, ADD, ODD, and bi-polar) I’m planning on homeschooling in the fall. I’m tired of being a target when I’m doing everything possible to get the help he needs. And I certainly don’t need them breathing down my neck. In fact, there is someone here in Kansas that’s trying to bring attention to the questions practices of DCF and their grounds for removing children from the home when they don’t. They make things up, twist statements to their benefit and so on. The case worker told my 7 year old grandson that if he didn’t start behaving at school and making better choices that she would see about placing him in another home. He has been traumatized by this and every time he sees a white car, he thinks it’s DCF coming to take him away.
Is there any representation for non homeschooled Christians?
Hi Camillia
Great question. I haven’t heard of any specific legal groups for non-homeschooled children. Up until this point homeschooling families have been one the largest at risk targets for removal, thus the formation of these legal bodies to represent them.
Maybe someone here can help. If I learn of something, I’ll post it. It is certainly a great idea.
Becky
We use Legal Shield, like the other two mentioned, there’s a monthly fee but it’s reasonable and worth it.
Not all churches are the same but the ones we have had the privilege of serving in have had their own legal representation. If you do not have your own already maybe your church would be able to point you in the direction of an attorney.
National Center for Life and Liberty – ncll.org
Legal Aid
michele, now in luzurne county you cant get help from legal aid..i tryed when cps removed my children back in 2005 in they said they dont handle custody battles wit cps they only handle cases when cps is trying to strip a parent from there rights so cps can put your child up for adopation in it wouldent help me to get one when cps striped me from my rights cause they got me for failure to protect my children for something that never happened……shows you how luzurne county cps works they take the children that r taken care of in heck on the ones that dont deserve there children r the children that r bein abused in i know that for a fact cause i have a neice that is 26 in had four children in new jersey in lost every one of them from birth cause she only has the mind of a 12 year old in got pregant again so she moves to luzurne county so cps in new jersey wouldent take that baby from her also…. in someone turned her into cps in luzurne cause she wasent feeding my great neice right..now mind u the baby was 5lbs when she was born in only gained 7lbs in 5 months now that baby should of weighed a hell of alot more that 7lbs in 5 months in cps..just opened a case in worked wit her in only had the case opened for 3 months then closed her case..now my great neice is 10 months old in she signed all rights to my great neice to a friend of hers cause she is pregant wit another baby in said she wouldent be able to handled a 16 month old in a newborn baby at the same time…i swear she shouldent of been able to have any children at all r cps should of taken my great niece when she was 5 months cause she only gained 7lbs in 5 months that was enough proof that my great niece wasent being feed right…now u tell me how messed up the system is in luzurne county..
In Illinois, the Family Defense Center represents parents investigated by DCFS, and is not otherwise limited to any particular interest group.
That was our problem. We had 2 diabetic children in public school and the school nurse reported us for medical neglect. She failed to mention in her report that many of my son’s teachers had candy on their desk as a possible reason for his blood sugar being high. CPS pulled my kids out of class and talked to them at school without our knowledge. We hired an attorney because the school nurse became so aggressive with our son. We pulled our kids from public school that year and it is not an option again.
I would say all of this universally applies with the exception of the foundations. Of course, I do think you have to use your best judgement as to how much you choose to engage CPS as I can see the other point of view and after fostering for several years I can see where it could possibly cause you more harm then good, but it really depends on the individual CPS representative that shows up at your door….it’s a 50/50 chance. Some are wonderful, compassionate and willing to see things with all fairness and some are irrational, vindictive and ignorant…terrible combination.
Lynn
Thanks for your comment.
What did you mean by “with the exception of the foundations”?
I agree that all parents need to judge their situation and respond how they feel will be in their and their children’s best interests. I think some parents (a high percentage!) might get angry and freaked out and react badly to a CPS visit which could cause them unnecessary further problems – but that doesn’t mean they are bad parents, they just aren’t that good at stressful situations, and probably haven’t been warned!
Becky
I worked as a CPS worker for over 15 years. I agree with some of the advice given here, but some I do not. Definitely do not answer questions that have not been asked unless it helps your case. Be polite. Stay calm. I know that in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas CPS workers do not need a warrant. If a police officer has reason to believe that a child has been harmed, they may not need a warrant either. If you refuse to let the worker see your child, they will assume you have something to hide. If the allegations involve marks or bruises on the child, let the worker see that there are none, or if there are, be able to explain them. The case may be dropped at that time. Don’t make it any bigger of a deal than it has to be. The more effort the caseworker puts into it the more diligent that person may be in looking for proof of abuse or neglect.
Hey Jan
Thank you for your input. It is important to stay calm and rational and your experience is truly helpful. Sometimes the threat or even the thought of someone showing up to question our parenting can make us the most irrational mammals on the planet! Hopefully thinking through these things in advance will help parents make calm wise respectful responses! Your experience and insight is appreciated.
Becky
I worked for CPS in SD for almost 6 years, and it was a difficult job, if we didn’t come with law enforcement, we were not going to remove kids, and sometime if we did bring law enforcement due to past history we didn’t remove children. I think there are a large amount of referrals that come in that are screened out even with reports of obvious danger to children. I know it was a difficult job for me to do, after my experience in another state, when I was a new mom! I had a child that was very hyper, and not very coordinated, the state worker there made jokes about the allegations, and when she left, she had stated that my daughter was abused, the records have since been destroyed, but the experience still stays with me! It was actually reported by neighbors that didn’t like us, and they were abusive to their own children and it was known by others too. We did what we needed to do to get it off of our record but it still angers me alot!!!
And the ones who abuse their kids never seem to get the ‘visit’. Social workers, psychologists and ESPECIALLY Psychiatrists have always done more harm than good.
Amen to that. I had two children removed from me bedside of a nosy nurse who had no grounds to report anything. Now I’m struggling to get my children back. It’s a shame. The nerve and judgement of people these days. Too nosy for their own good.
My children are grown but I’d like to comment. Thank you for this information. What a horrible surprise to find CPS at your door…for questionable reasons. The parts of peoples’ comments here that concern me is that it sounds like some believe most or all CPS staff, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, law enforcement, the gov’t. are the enemy. Even in these types of situations, we as followers of Jesus are called to love, forgive, be respectful…and work WITH those who are doing their jobs. I’m reminded the saying: “Be kind to everyone…for we are all fighting a great battle.”
Thank you for your wisdom. It is absolutely true that followers of Jesus Christ are called to love, and can also call on the protection of our powerful God. We never need to walk in fear. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that there are evil dark forces at work in our world, and thus we need to shine even brighter, as Jesus taught us in Matthew 5. It is a challenge to navigate. Parents are also called to nurture and protect their children and need to know that we are involved in a spiritual battle. There is a real enemy after our children’s souls.
I pray every parent reading this will find comfort and confidence in seeking God through Jesus.
Becky
If you have concerns of children being abused and the concerns are not being addressed, then there are hotlines you should notify of this….it is everyone’s duty to protect the children…
A police officer does not need a warrant to enter your house if they believe an occupant is in imminent danger. I assume CPS might operate under the same framework. However any evidence collected or action taken without a warrant under the premise of imminent danger must to supported by facts that the child is in imminent danger. The burden of proof would be with CPS to prove imminent danger existed. It is best to be polite, but say as little as possible. Just as if you were dealing with the police, with the exception that police will be better trained and more knowledgeable of the law than your average CPS worker.
I would not like to be an over aggressive CPS worker demanding entry without a warrant. AR15’s, Colts, Glocks, Lugers, Rugers and Walthers can wipe out all nuisance persons interfering in family affairs. America is an armed society. When you enter someones home without their permission, your very life is at risk.
I don’t think threatening a CPS worker would help with your case. Quite the opposite, really.
Hi Jan,
I have a follow up question to your comment – you state that if CPS asks to see your child and you have nothing to hide, then allowing them to see that child is fine will work out in your best interest. Does that include needing to allow them into the home? Or can I just call my child to the door (given that they are old enough to come themselves) or close the door, get my child, and come back so that they can see that they are OK? I ask because my husband had an accident with his daughter where she had gotten hit in the mouth and bit her lip (she was running at him, he was turning…it was a true accident) and her mother used it to get first the police involved, and then when their investigation was closed as “unfounded”, she then contacted CPS and we had to go through an entire investigation with them. It was all dropped, but it was stressful and scary, and I worry about it being an issue again, whenever her mother feels she has another opportunity. Would it be looked at as trying to hide something by not letting them into my home?
All CPS needs is to see the children. So you don’t have to let them in the home, BUT bring the children to the door so they can see them. I know this because I am CPS. If CPS doesn’t see the kids then we have to go to court to get an Order to Produce the kids. So all you need is to bring g the kids to the door at the very least.
Okay so is this the case also when they just show up an say they want to come in an see what is going on. Can we just take the child out doors instead of in the house then. We are dealing with a investigation of a doctor reporting because i question something. This is ongoing now almost a year. An now they are saying they have every right to come in the house. en.
If your case has been ongoing for a year, you have a founded case and what they can do changes. They should have a court order. You should have a copy. What they can do is in the order.
It is still an open investigation. They says the board of doctors have not told them there is even anything found yet. Which is hard an because the cps pwrson was not coming we thiught all was done then she show up agian like I said the last 7 months we have seen her 3 times now. An only reason she stop by was because we got ahold of a higher up to find out what was going on. Now I need to know do we have to do these oh when she wants to stop by do I have to ler her in my house or can I just bring son out she xan look at him an make her leave. An because when she came last rime ibtold her I wanted a 3 person there she saying they dont have to let that happen an had another worker write saying it is an investigation an they neec to see him
WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they don’t have a warrant, they can NOT enter your home. You are spreading false information. They will use any tricky language they can to get you to consent, but if they force themselves into your home, you have every right to defend your home against an invader. Your comment of “assuming you have something to hide” is asinine. It has routinely been ruled in courts on all kinds of cases that refusal of consent to search can NOT be used against you or as justification to conduct a search or grounds for a warrant.
Please do not make up law scenarios that are more harmful than good. Probable Cause laws allow any law enforcement to enter your home with restrictions. “Search and Seizure” requires a warrant. These are 2 very different things and you can be arrested for interference with an investigation for refusing to allow law enforcement a look around. Too many people are making up laws and talking like 16 year old kids experimenting with drugs on “how to get away with it”. Then applying their childish knowledge to every law enforcement scenario. Cooperation with an investigation saying as little as required, does not suddenly make you a criminal. Impeding on an investigation and acting like you have something to hide will only make them push harder and seek out unnecessary search and seizure warrants.
Actually this is state to state. Some states DO allow a social worker from DSS (Department of Social Services) to enter your home if they suspect that children are in imminent danger. NC is one of those states. (Speaking from personal experience!) They also supersede privacy laws. In my case a nurse gave DSS my private information (names of ALL my children, my phone number and address). They also have the right to interview my children’s schools and doctors without my consent. So be careful about giving out “advice” about what your “rights” are when they are quite different state to state. In my case I had absolutely nothing to hide, showed my caseworker my children to prove they had no bruises, he observed them interacting with me during the interview and noted that our relationship was loving and supportive and in no way were my children in “fear” of me. Case dropped. 30 days later I received a notice from DSS that the charges were groundless and no investigation would be conducted. People need to understand that there are multiple steps to a DSS CPS “visit”. There are two main steps. the inquiry and the investigation. This is the case in my state. Again not all states are the same.
I’m sure the laws very from state to state.
In my case i recived a call informing me that my child had been questioned and her sister was absent and needed to also be questioned asap. The next day i had to leave work early to meet her at my home. Because i had nothing to hide i fully coporated. I told my children she was just a “saftey lady” and answer her questions. It was a big inconvenience caused by a pulmonary specialist that needed to read\update her information. The whole thing still angers me considering the children that are kept in homes that are unfit. I see and know families that have been reported because of severely neglected children. Parents that abuse drugs and sell their foodstamps for drugs. Because they refuse to answer their door or allow cps or police inside the kids are in danger but nothing is being done. I personally have witnessed abuse and neglect, after i reported, CPS attempted to make contact numerous times. The family moved…case closed.
Same here! CPS suckd. Not sure what they are actually getting paid for? I know a case were they had documents to prove abuse, drug use and that the parents were selling fs, still nothing was done! UGH!
We had CPS investigate our family after our 3 month old baby died in her sleep. It was a terrible time because on top of missing my baby terribly, I was worried that CPS wouldn’t believe our story and might take our other 4 children away. Nevertheless, I understand why they had to investigate us, since a child had died in our home. A neighbor stayed with our 4 children while we were at the hospital with our baby. She said while we were gone our children were separately interviewed and asked questions like, “What do your parents do when they get mad?”, ” Do they ever hit you?”, and “Do they yell at you?”. Well, I had barely ever hit them, but I had swatted them on the butt before. Also, had I ever yelled? Well, yes. I’m human. I have lost my patience. I was terrified! After this a CPS worker was assigned to keep an eye on us. She came by unannounced 2 times. Even though our house wasn’t perfect, I allowed her to come in because I wanted to prove to her that I had nothing to hide. We talked on our couch both times and I had to answer questions about how I was deeling with the loss of our baby. She also asked if she could speak with our children. I cooperated with everything, even though I wasn’t up to it. In the end, she got to know us and like us. I could tell that she felt bad for me and what our family was going through. She saw that our children were in no danger and assured me that everything would be all right. I fear that if I would have been uncooperative that she might have thought that we had something to hide, and then the outcome might have been different.
Nicole
Thank you for sharing your experience. Your pain at that time must have been enormous, and the stress of proving your parenting on top of your grieving. I am glad you had a good outcome. I think the thing to remember is that every person working for the system is an individual human being. You followed your heart and your intuition and it ended well. I’m thankful that your family was respected. I wish every CPS worker had the same level of compassion and integrity. I pray your family will be blessed as you continue to heal.
Nicole, my heart goes out to you. My brother and sister-in-law went through this very same thing last summer. They lost their 2 month old son to SIDS. They have 6 other well adjusted healthy children so I am pretty sure that there was no real threat of those children being removed from their home, but the thought of having to endure the loss of their precious little baby boy and be questioned and put under a microscope for every little thing during such a heartbreaking time…it just hurts me that they, and you, had to go through something like that.
My prayers are with you and your family. God bless you all.
The 4th amendment to the US Constitution protects us against unreasonable search and seizure without a warrant. How would Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma be exempt from the Constitution?
This is something that any state can do in given the right circumstances. If the officer is given reason to believe that any person, regardless of age, is in immediate danger they can forcibly enter a private residence. Ex: police officer hears gun shots from inside, hears someone screaming in distress, sees anything illegal in plain view.
Not true. CPS does not have the right to violate the Constitution.
The Bill of Rights only defines what Congress can and cannot do; it says nothing about what the several states can do.
“unreasonable”is the key word. someone just saying “we have reason to believe” is not grounds to dismiss a warrant.
It’s pathetic, I know – but sadly, quite common. Not much different than the federal law about harboring illegal aliens yet many cities in numerous states provide sanctuary – completely ignoring federal law!
Absolutely correct and thank you for your excellent comment.
A not so nice neighbor called CPS on me to be mean. I had just moved into a townhome in los angeles with my 12 yr son who has special needs. When CPS arrived and I would not let him in even after he presented his card. So he called a police officer. I was very upset so staying calm was not an option, in reality it isn’t so easy when you have done nothing wrong. I was crying. My son saw me crying. Then CPS explained he was there because of a complaint of a child crying all day and night. My son never cries, he is non verbal, and sleeps through the night, but sometimes he hums during the day. He has Autism and Down syndrome and cries once in a blue moon. CPS asked if he had the Down syndrome since birth, realllly?? He asked millions of questions and after an hour of questioning he left. I received a letter stating the case was closed. If I had not allowed CPS in my home then the situation would have escalated from a CPS visit responding to a crank call complaint from a nasty neighbor — into a full fledged investigation. So I feel I did the right thing allowing CPS in once that the officer arrived.
my sister admitted to abusing my kids and cps just had her sign a paper she wont do it any more but i lost them becouse of beong homeless not abuse .DONT UNDERSTAND how they can do that if i was leaving bruses on my kids i would be charged !!!! cps needs to be more monitered from these pactices .i could go on with horror stories that have been done to me cps and the clinton county court.
i can relate to ur story..i lost my two clildren back in 2005 for the abuse on me by my now husband at the time boyfriend back then he never abused my children …. in alcohol abuse by my husband in me….i was court ordered by the judge to do somethings in i did everything that i was suppose to do in so did my husband it took 2 years but we did what we had to in also changed are lifes around 100 percent we quit drinking still dont drink today its not worth it it caused me too loose my babies in also almost ruined my marriage cause i was sick in tired of him hittin me all the time r slamming me off a wall….in then once my worker seen that me in my husband where doin wat we had to to get my babies back..which was also two years later…i started getting things in the mail from my cps worker stating that my husband again at the time boyfriend has done something to my children that he has never done in i know that for a fact as he never was left alone wit my children i took them where ever i went wit just meeting him n not knowin anything about him in i always confronted my children in private when it was just me in my children in everytime they would say no mommy uncle rick didnt touch us in i tought my children good touch in bad touch in not to be affraid to tell mommy if someone does bad touch on yous not matter wat they say cause my daugther was only 3 years old in her bio dad has touched her in gave her a std thats how i found out cause i took her to hosptial cause of blood bein on her underware after spending weekend wit her bio dad in he got away wit it cause my cps worker said there was not enough evadince cause my 3 year old daugther wouldent talk to them in tell them wat her bio dad did now come on my daugther had a std by him wtf did she mean not enough evadence…..in somehow idk how it was founded.that my husband did abuse my children when again it never happened.. so they have me as failure to protect my children for something that never goddamn happened..took my visitation away from me in put a no contact order wit my children on me in my husband in put my son up for adopation i n my poor daugther was pushed from home to home and in mental hospital at the age 6 on..in finally found a home that adopted her this past november when she turned sweet sixteen..i swear i am a kids for cash victim cause i only get ssi in welfare for my children when i had custody them which only left me my ssi check in my husband pay check which only paid my rent in bills so my cps worker knew she could do watever she wanted cause i couldent afford a lawyer and in luzurne county u cant get a free lawyer to help you out i tryed in couldent i need a paid lawyer in couldent afford one ..so this is my horror story wit cps in luzurne county..
Honestly, in your case, it sounds like CPS did exactly the right thing. I’m glad your kids were adopted by healthy families.
Michelle
That might come across as harsh. We certainly do not have all the facts and are not able to make a judgement. It sounds like she made a lot of good progress when her children were first taken away.
There are many things we don’t know. What we do know is that she has experienced a lot of pain in her circumstances and needs healing, as do we all. Every mom longs to have a connection with her children.
Becky
I had several bad experiences with [a specific] County Children and Youth Services in Pa.Too long of a story to get into…but I am not the only one who has had to deal with corrupt and unjust unfair treatment with caseworkers from this office. My ex was reported for neglect on my daughter and my children said he was drinking and driving with them and smoking potin the house and cys told him he could smoke pot as long as he did it outside..I lost my children for smoking pot among other reasons…they pick and choose who they want to open cases on..other people have said this..time for people to band together and complain and report them to higher people and media..
I am not certain that you understand. When there is a child in the house when an adult is harmed, they will remove the child from a potentially dangerous situation. The danger can be an adult abusing another adult in the presence of a minor child. The child may not see anything, hear anything. Some people don’t understand the investigation without bruises on the children, there are many forms of abuse.
I had cps come to my house when I was 17 my son was only 2 months it was very late at night and with cops I never had this happen to me ever before with cps and cops as soon as I seen them I broke down crying thinking they were gonna take my son away they told me they were there to see if he was being malnutrition and under weight (he was born a prime alb 15oz) and as gaining what he need to be she told me a family member called about a family reunion where I was putting more water in his formula (they didn’t understand the half and half of already made formula that u just needed to add water to) so the cps came and the moment she held my son he took a big dump in her lap (diaper on of course) and that moment she said you’re doing great the case is getting dropped just shows u that some cps people are nice and some not.
As a foster parent I totally agree with you.. Some points are good in the article but others I question. I think you gave some great advice that is much needed after reading this post.
I’m sorry but your wrong about them not needing a warrant!! I had cps investigate my ex because of a custody battle between his wife about their 3yo daughter, because they both were nit picking at each other.. I got dragged into it and they wanted to see the inside of my house and we didn’t give them permission. They tried treating, being nice ECT.. This is in Texas.. They even threatened to take my daughter. I told them they couldn’t because she wasn’t part of this.. After a couple of days of phone calls they just told me to bring my daughter to the cps office to talk and everything was fine..
just keep calm, positive and don’t always answer questions that are not needed..
I agree…been thru CPS too much and learned thevhard way how to deal with them…..the scars of my kids removal..only 2weeks are forever haunting them….definitely co operate…if u have nothing to hide then comply…but don’t be stupid….and I do agree don’t let them in ur home…see them outside and If u must bring kids outside….but all this goes out the window when they show up at the kids school lying and tricking them…and even with an attorney getting them back is a nightmare….and 2 weeks was eternity….we have rights but unfortunately they can over power…now i pray for God’s protection and wisdom and so far God has kept us all safe and together…one thing not mentioned though…once on their radar…always on their radar…be smart …be ready…protect ur kids
Exactly, the cps lady who came, drilled me for an hour. Yes an hour, even after she told it was going to be unfounded and there was no scars on child. She still checked my house. She never mentioned my rights. She asked me everything including who my siblings were, mother’s name, schools I attended. To me that was a witch hunt. My house is very organized and clean with nice stuff she could see that, but proceeded to check. I even invited her to check cabinet for food she gave me a dirty look. She left with this unhappy look on her face. I could tell she was disappointed cause she found nothing. There was nothing to find.
I also am giving them a statement from my other neighbor who was outside and heard me tell my daughter to apologize for being mean to me. My neighbour is a family advocate and was outraged someone called on me. She hears everything in my house and made it clear to me “you are a good mom, I hear her screaming at you. Sometime I can’t believe it and it makes me mad.” Me and her both got biracial kids, and yet cps has been called on us both, false reports. The system wants to take biracial kids. And there are families who want them taken from black homes. This is truth. Now I saw how she looked at all the nice things I had. She went on and asked if I was working. My home is full of antiques bought over years of working. She made a statement ‘wow, she has a huge TV in her room.” I can already see that she is going to run with possible drugs….etc. What I learned is that if someone want your kids they will take any steps or tell any lies to have them. She definitely was searching. I then volunteered and told her, “I have fbi clearance, went to school for criminal justice, don’t do drugs and will test for it. I’ve been sick for 3 days which is why there are a few dishes in sink. I have a doctor’s excuse. The medicine makes me tired.” I noticed she didn’t write that down. Cause she knew it would help my case. I am not scared of cps, cause I am completely innocent and I have a legal degree, I know how to fight legal. So I am telling them I want a copy of my allegation or a lawyer will get them for me. I also am contacting school and demanding a letter to not ever check my child unless I am there or notified it is happening. The laws says you can do this. I am also filing a criminal complaint against the false report. Cops told me they couldn’t do anything. I researched, he lied. A criminal complaint can be filed and they get the info from cps.
I am also sending a letter to my neighbors and school informing of my right and that I filed a Criminal complaint. The seriousness of a false report is not being taken lightly. There were 3 witnesses present including a family advocate, and each say they saw no child abuse when I was talking to her outside. All the mothers raising black or biracial kids on my street are being targeted. Yet the white kids have no food in their homes (I gave them food many times) their parents do drugs, and sell. We smell and see it. The kids are very dirty and play in mud puddles yet no cps case on them. I am blowing the whistle on this discrimination of interracial families with false cps reports on them.
Now while cps came to my house, they walked by two homes with kids being abused. I informed her of this. They were not being fed, filthy and parents on crack. Yet she did not pursue against them, continued to hunt on me, my clean house, background, my ice box full of food, my long education background, my child an honor student, with beautiful furniture in the room and a 50 inch tv. My porch clean, two cars in my home. My history of taking care of elderly people, being a director of an entire unit at a nursing home. She even did a pre check on me before coming to my house without calling. She said from the start, “We see u never had a case and did not see any other types of criminal cases on you” yet she says we are going to do a deeper criminal background check.
So no matter what helped my case she tried to dig further. I didn’t plan on filing criminal complaints, etc. but since I realised after an hour in my home she was on a witch hunt, I am.
My daughter even came in and acted normal. Was not upset or anything. Yet she proceeded to drill me for another 30 min.
This has be stopped.
Thank you for your contribution. You have unique insight and I appreciate you sharing it with us. I am so sorry this is happening to you. I pray you will find justice and protection for your family. It is hard for the average person to realise the extent of corruption in this system. Many cps workers might be nice, but that doesn’t mean all are. It sounds like you are prepared and informed. I wish you strength and victory.
After the first surprise visit how long does CPS have to let me know if they are opening a case or not? And does a supervisor have to be present to give me a drug test? I refused to take one because that was my right and she threatened me saying if I didn’t she would take my baby from me so I was scared and I took one it’s been almost 6 weeks and I haven’t heard anything back not even a letter and my drug screen will show the meds I am prescribed but I didn’t tell the lady that but I have proof.
I wish that my boyfriend’s daughter knew this.
Pingback: More on CPS visits | Journey Boost
Becky, another great post. I am forwarding this!!
Absolutely GREAT info!
I printed this off to have ~just in case..We already support Heritage Foundation and Home School Defense..need to post their phone # so they are HANDY..just in case..Thanks for this information! One never knows, these days!
A good practice is to have your advocates number programed into your phones so that when you are stressed you don’t have to worry about remembering numbers you need.
Interesting. If you’re such a good parent, why would you ever worry about CPS? If you have to program these numbers in to phone to be prepared, then you already know you’re doing something wrong, and your children are paying for it. Your guilt alone should make you want to find out how to be a better mother, not hide behind a lawyer.
Many great parents have been victimised by CPS. There are many wonderful people working in the field of child protection, but there are also a lot of known cases of injustice. All sane, loving parents are judiciously cautious of any government over reach. Perhaps you should read this brief piece which explains exactly why good parents might have strong reason to be cautious about CPS investigations. http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/5_May/mayds4.htm
Thank you so much! I’m intending I never need such information but as you’ve said in today’s world one never knows. I’ve heard terrible stories of CPS medical kidnappings the past several months. Have you heard of this group: http://www.parentalrights.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={4771B53E-D345-4753-BEF4-68C1CA71CE13}
Very vital issue and it absolutely ties into the issue your article espouses on. I encourage everyone who reads this to look into this issue. Our children were born to us and not to the United States government!
Amen! You said it sister!
In alberta we were informed that workers dont need a warrant to talk to children of any age and they use excuses to go into house
child and family workers are not accountable for anything they do and twist facts
if u make them mad u can lose your children and in the courts it is assumed that u are a bad parent
We must make them accountable. CPS depends on parent’s being ignorant and uniformed. In general, most people do not understand how CPS works, or law enforcement period. They all read from the same script and their methods do not change. Lie, Coerce, Threaten, Intimidate. That is the order of the day. Why do they do it? Because they KNOW what your rights are. They know they don’t have any evidence against you. The reason they are at your doorstep is so that they can coerce or intimidate you into giving up your rights so that they can build a case against you to take your children. They don’t care about your child. This is strictly a money game and they will use your child to get it and not care one iota if your family is destroyed in the process. If they manage to get you in court, the object is to get you on the defensive. A dirty fork in the sink becomes a sink full of dirty dishes. Words can be twisted. But the idea is to put you on the defensive so you will appear to have something to hide. The best way to deal with CPS is the same way you should deal with anyone. Nip it in the bud at the outset. Don’t cooperate with them in any way, it will lead to loss of your children, possibly forever with no one to blame but yourself. Know your rights because if you don’t know your rights, you certainly don’t have any and CPS will take full advantage of it. .
Lisa, I’m curious what your personal experiences are with CPS? Have you been investigated before? You sound either like a disgruntled parent or a rumor- monger. Please don’t tell me you know someone who was investigated as the basis for your rant.
CPS staff are absolutely held accountable. If they screw up, they can even be prosecuted criminally, and they have. And there is absolutely no financial incentive to remove kids. That is one one the biggest urban legends out there. CPS gets federal funds to offset the costs of taking care of kids in care, but it doesn’t not even equal the cost, so States actually pay out of their own budgets when kids go into care- and removing kids is NOT easy. It requires a judges order- CPS does not have judges on staff. They have to go to a courthouse to request removal. There is a legal process and proof has to be presented that the kids cannot be kept in their home safely before a removal peer is granted. Photos need to be taken, interviews must be recorded, so a dirty fork doesn not become a sink full of dirty dishes. You are either woefully misinformed or you are angry at the system for a perceived wrong done to you. Either way, what you wrote is completely inaccurate and damaging to the people that actually try to help keep kids safe.
I’ve reached out to everyone to stop the abuse.
Even Court doing illegal things. Told me only way out of Commonwealth Court of PA is to drop all charges.
This impeding my right, to exhaust administrative remedies.
Which are none.
Because they are all allegedly ignorant to their job title.
That we the tax payers’ pay for, their ignorance, their salaries.
It’s a business to them, with their poison pen innuendos.
No proof.
No court hearing.
Child gone.
Held accountable? Please they would not do all the illegal things they do, if they feared any repercussions.
I’ve personally witnessed laws being broke provided evidence to all, including state legislature, and yet I’m still enduring retaliation.
Probably will till they day I die that’s how much they’re held accountable.
Proof of lies at State level. Still nothing that I’m aware of was ever done to protect my family.
Criminals held for 48 hours max as I understand the law.
Yet my grandbaby can be kept away from family for at least 30 days?
Even though it is presumed he has rights?He’s in prison for at least thirty days.
With strangers based on the careing social workers lies and no burden of proof needed. Evidence provided will be overlooked.
The whole system a joke.
Why tell people they have rights? They don’t!
We have none, it’s an illusion.
Every one for themselves.
The supreme law of the land said the cops are not obligated to protect you.
Where does that leave the abused?
Wiera
My heart breaks for your situation. I pray, through the power of Jesus Christ to bring light to darkness, that you will find justice and release for your grand baby. I pray you will experience the sustaining power of Jesus as you fight for this justice. Truly our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Jesus has conquered this enemy and I pray you will find His victory.
Becky
That’s a crok of crap. I’ve witnessed it first hand sitting in court. Fighting for my grandkids. You probably work for CPS. They lie. I have documented proof. They never completed home studies on family members who were COPS. Just to prolong n go to court n TPR. There were 6 children involved. Alot of $$$ to have to give up on the worker part. My grandkids are up for adoption like cattle.
Jia
I pray for justice for your grandchildren. In these crazy times I find my strength and wisdom through Jesus. His resurrected power is surely available to all who call upon Him! In the name of Jesus I ask that justice will be done and your grandchildren will be protected. Amen
Becky
No the entire US govt is corrupt in every way possible so stop it. If people cannot see that by now then they are completely blind. My nephew was stolen from my family years ago by CPS and wasn’t allowed to be given to my mother because they said “grandparents don’t have rights like that in new york” my mother was completely willing and able, 0 criminal history, 0 past history with CPS. They found a family who wanted him and were determined not to give him back to his natural family. They have taken plenty of children from plenty of willing and able family members my story is not the only one. CPS has taken children and put them in homes of molesters and killers they are all corrupt and doing Satan’s work.
Josue, i was a victim of CPS. They’re are as crooked as they come. They actually do more damage than good. Don’t lie to the people, there’s enough of that going on in this cruel world. The system is corrupt. Point. Blank. Period!
Josue, your comment is a ‘Leave It To Beaver’ scenario filmed with Rose-tinted lenses. That is how the system was supposed to function. However, what actually occurs is exploitation, power-mongering, deceit and corruption. Most certainly, the majority are well-intentioned professionals, but the corrupt triumph unfortunately.
Josue,
You are so wrong about how hard you want to portray these people have to work to get kids ripped away from parents. You sure sound like you’re a caseworker yourself. Please don’t come around here telling people that if someone got their kids taken away it is because that was best for their kids. I don’t want to go into too much detail but if you make one of these corrupt workers mad and your special needs breastfed child is literally ripped away from your arms while they’re crying and you’re left holding a paper with a vague accusation with no evidence to be backed by. And more than likely in a weekend evening so you can do nothing about it for days. A judge will sign just about anything the department will take them with the reasoning of parents will have their chance to fight it, but what about the damage to the babies?
Are you kidding me these kids have a price tag on their head! It is very easy for CPS of Arkansas to come in and take your kids! Yes you have to go to court 5 days after the child was removed! And btw hearsay is allowed at the probable cause hearing in which the judge will almost always give the kids to DHD. Then the parents have to do a case plan and have a year to do! This is where the corruption begins. They sabotage the parents and lie on them. This is why in Arkansas I tell parents record record record. Do not tell them. By law you do not have to tell anyone you are recording them as long as you are part of the conversation. So when CPS LIES to the judge parents can prove its not true! Then after the parents complete their case plan, do everything they’re supposed to do, DHS comes up with new things. My favorite is ‘no you can’t have the kids back because you don’t have a bond’ Or ‘you have to tie your tubes in order to get the last child in your home!’ Not corrupt?? have you ever dealt with them??#
josue i am curious as to where you are from and what your personal experience is?? i know for a fact in Michigan that cps cannot be held accountable and cannot be prosecuted they are protected from that.. they do get away with anything they want here!!! You are completely wrong about the ability to remove the children .. they can or do remove kids here all the time without the signature of a judge they are allowed to make that call on their own… also again you are wrong about any kind of recording during interviews, this is some of the most false information i have read!!! Granted you may not be from michigan and what you say may hold true where you are from but, dont come out calling people liars unless you know how it works in every state!!!
Ummm no DHS is never held accountable for there actions in Arkansas they have immunity
Thank you for sharing! I’ve dealt with them in the past and cooperated and lost my daughter in the end. I want to comment on the part about a dirty fork can turn into a sink full of dirty dishes…they can also twist around the fact that a clean sink/kitchen means your children aren’t being fed.
My husbands grandmother didn’t like the fact that my husband was with me because I had 2 kids already. She called cps numerous of times on me for bogus reasons to try to get me to break up with him.one thing I learned…..it is ALWAYS better to cooperate. None of my children has ever been taken away from me. I stood firm with cps but was still polite and cooperated
This is so tru. Just happened to me. Took my baby at 5 months cuz my doc put me on medical marijuana n I had some post pardum due to stressful pregnancy n irresponsible partner who I just left 3 wks prior. Then they lied for 2.5 yrs n now r adopting my son out after I did everything they asked me to. My legal aid lawyers didn’t do shit!!
Be mindful that ALL ALLEGATIONS of child abuse and neglect have to be investigated and if need be, the agency will take the family to court and have a judge order them to comply with the investigation, if the court agrees with the agency’s concerns for a child’s safety and well being.
Please do not mislead people into thinking they don’t need to cooperate. Finally, if the parent or caretaker has nothing to hide, then they should be willing to understand the purpose of why there’s a CPS worker knocking on their door.
I’m certain that some of the people who agree with you, may have had experiences with a CPS agency and their child were removed from their custody because the child was at imminent risk of harm or harmed. Of course, those people would agree with what you’re saying in this article.
In closing, what would you be saying if any one of the people agreeing with you and turns out that their child is seriously hurt or killed: Would you still feel that your advice was justified?
What if? This is for a families protection, end of story. Let’s throw the law out the window and let the government run our lives? NOT
Sure, and because you want no government, you’ll also forfeit Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and all the other programs that help new mothers that are struggling, disabled children and adults, Section 8, Food Stamps, SNAP, SSI, SSDI, and other State run programs. The next time there’s a terrorist attack, you can protect yourselves because the military is all government. You can test your own food and water, deal with your own oil spills, contaminants, because the FDA, FEMA, EPA, etc. will also no longer be available to you.
Also, do you need or use any of these:
Driven on public roads?
Attended public schools? Deposited money into a bank because you knew even in the event of a robbery your funds are insured?
Visited a public library?
Called 9/11 in the unfortunate need for police, fire or medical assistance?
Received mail from the United States Postal Service?
Taken out a student loan or grant? Had your garbage collected by city services?
Used any form of public transportation?
Yes, the government is so terrible because it worries about your children, but where would you really be without them?
A friend of mine had a nursing child taken away for MONTHS for false allegations. Even their dr said there was no way the claims could be accurate. It took her months to get him back. He is now a teenager, and they have struggled ever since bc they were separated during important bonding time FOR FALSE ALLEGATIONS. Sometimes CPS is not in the right.
I’m sorry but if this mom and child are still having issues and the child is now a teenager (so well over a decade has gone by), the missed bonding time is not going to to be the reasoning for issues that far down the road! That’s really reaching!
Jessie
Thanks for your thoughts. I think there is possibility that interference in the early bonding between a mother and her baby could result in lifelong struggles in the relationship. A breastfeeding baby deserves his mother and should never be removed on a whim or a suspicion. The doubt should always be with the mom. If help is needed for the baby, it should surely be given to mom and baby together. I don’t think the current system is set up to do that, but I certainly don’t have all the information.
Becky
Being separated from your caregiver as an infant can and WILL have lifelong affects for the child. Look up Reactive Attachment Disorder. There are varying degrees of severity but it is very real and detrimental to the child’s ability to bond their entire life’s.
A few months during a child life doesn’t translate into lifetime problems. I think perhaps your friend isn’t being honest with you. No parent will ever admit or own up to being a bad or abusive parent, no one, especially not mothers. It’s also human nature not to admit wrong or own up to mistakes because other mothers and society judge them so harshly. Don’t believe me, go online and see how fast one simple mistake can get you the nastiest feedback.
I agree with you on most points. In fact I know someone that has been investegated for real issues and they did exactly this and now both children are still in a dangerous situation. 🙁
I’ve had three personal experiences of CPS being called and investigating (in one instance). Two of the cases were nosy neighbors and one a little boy had a boo boo and his parents took him into the Dr. In today’s world this is useful information because the ones who actually need CPS are flying under the radar while good family’s lives are made a hellish nightmare. I live in a place where I’ve been afraid (on more than one occasion) that a nosy stranger would call CPS on me for not putting my kid in a snowsuit in 60 degree weather. So yes, this is good information to have.
Heather
Thank you for your input, it’s appreciated! It is a crazy world to navigate. We all need so much wisdom.
Becky
that is crazy .cps are dum .I wouldn’t put up with there bs .I have cps on me and they told me I had to do this or they were going to take mine kids away from me .I told them go ahead .and I also told them they better have a pice of paper sining by a judge say this and u know what cps couldn’t get a picee of that paper by a jugde so they didn’t do what they was going to do .it was like a threat .so they get very far from this lol so don’t let cps scar u ok
That’s not CPS’s problem or fault, it’s your neighbors. If the police come out because of a potential domestic violence issue, do you worry about or blame the cops? Perhaps fostering better relationships with neighbors or moving, would be better.
At no point in this article does the author advocate non-cooperation with CPS agents. What she does advocate is parents knowing their rights and insisting upon CPS respecting their parental rights.
We have laws for a reason, if CPS agents did not often act illegally or take advantage of the ignorance of parents to get them to wave their legal rights then it would not be necessary for people to write articles like the one above.
Personally I wish the zealots in CPS would focus more of their attention upon the child abuse going on in their own foster care system, and less on trying to take children away from loving parents who are not abusing their children.
You make a straw man argument at the end of your post about how knowing their parental rights could leave a child in an abusive situation. But the guiding principle of the US legal system is that it is better to leave a guilty person unpunished than it is to punish an innocent person. this means that sometimes a child will be left with abusive parents, and that is a tragic thing, but the alternative is to presume that every parent accused of abuse is guilty, leading to thousands of children being taken from loving homes and placed into an already over-burdened foster care system where abuse and neglect are known be taking place.
Tyler
Thank you for your logical informed comments. I agree wholeheartedly.
Becky
Of course the rights of our country are important to uphold. One should check with the invidual laws of the state they live in. This post basically is stating that you shouldn’t let CPS talk to your children or let them into your house, and that you should not answer their questions with any depth (ie, with any information that would actually be helpful for their investigation). If that is the case, how is CPS supposed to conduct an investigation? How are we to determine whether children are being or have been abused or neglected. Abuse and neglect thrives on isolation and secrecy. Parents are subjected to laws and regulations as to the type of care they are required to provide for their children. Children are not the property of their parents; they are vulnerable individuals with their own rights. Yes, CPS sometimes makes mistakes, but they are also subject to their own policies and need the approval of a judge in order to keep children away from their parents. If there is no basis for removal, the judge will order the children returned. If parents don’t cooperate with the investigation, it becomes much more difficult to determine if there is/was any abuse. After all, shouldn’t the priority be to protect children from abuse and neglect?
Hi Linda
Thanks for your comments.
The first paragraph states that it is important to be polite, but not to forfeit your rights. Getting the CPS worker’s name and writing it down is important for future reference. Asking for the nature of the allegations that have been made against you is a reasonable request. Parents are not perfect, but a lot of great parents have been harassed and denied access to their children. It is reasonable to expect the CPS visitor to be fully up-front about why they are there.
The most important thing for parents to know, is that if they are polite (and not flip their lid which would certainly be a very normal parental reaction – even for a GREAT parent), if they maintain their calm, ask important questions, the outcome will be better.
There is no intent in this information to shield abusive parents or leave abused kids in neglectful circumstances. But Tyler’s point about CPS needing to spend more time looking at abuse happening within the CPS system itself would be something to consider.
Becky
Just curious as to what you mean by “zealots” and if you are referring to all CPS workers or the system as a whole?
I agree that there are abuses in the foster care system but I don’t think child abuse can be ignored in families homes either. Both need attention.
I am brought to tears in reading about all of these horror stories about cps. My 5 yr old daughter with Down Syndrome was taken from me, as was her 14 yr. Old sister. They were placed in foster care. My daughter with Down Syndrome was repeatedly serially abused by foster father. I found out about this and she was removed from that home ,and separated from her sister. This was 13 yrs. Ago. My daughter with Down Syndrome was adopted out to a family that forbids me from having any contact with her. For 13 torturous years I have been absolutely heartbroken. Can I see her now that she will be 18 this July?, Please anyone that might have information about this, I’m pleading with you to contact me at ….4whatever333@gmail.com. Thank you, I. Mondragon
Ida
I pray you will be able to re-connect with your daughter. The pain you have endured is beyond imagination. I hope and pray you find someone with wisdom and insight to help you.
Becky
I very much disagree with the assertions. To say it is better to leave a child in an abusive situation is better than investigating alleged abuse is uninformed. The legal system is based upon the premise that those involved can speak for themselves and protect themselves. Children often cannot do either. CPS strives at all costs to prevent removal. If that is not possible, then the first option is placement with a suitable family member.
Is there CPS overreach? Yes. are there caseworkers who abuse their positions? Yes, but they are a very small minority and it doesn’t happen often, given the number of cases investigated each year.
Do people take abuse the system by making false allegations that have to be investigated? Yes.
But to say we should allow kids to remain in abusive situations is for the sake of the perceived preservation of “innocent until proven guilty” is misguided.
I fully agree with you, however when you say that parent should know their rights. That is very important and they should exercise those rights appropriately. But please do not vilify all CPS caseworkers. The vast majority of them are dedicated, caring and committed to keeping kids safe AND in their homes. And the vast majority of the time they are successful in this endeavor.
Josue
Thank you for adding your insight.
Becky
If a parent has nothing to hide, then they would be shocked and scared if a CPS worker showed up… why should good parents be understanding at ALL?? Screw them, get off my property and get back to those HUFE case loads they’re always screaming about not having anytime to get to… there are actual children with nothing and in deplorable conditions!
BTW, do NOT speak for me again! My children are in a loving beautiful Christian home blessed by God & I have not witnessed any good from CPS in a long time.. nor have they ever knocked on my door!
This is great advice for home schooling parents since the government & schools like to overstep their boundaries when they do not get their way. …
I am sure that there are people that will agree with your comment of if you have nothing to hide then why not surrender all rights to them. However, there are also those, like me and my family, who have been falsely accused in an endless barrage. My wife and I are now being investigated again for the same thing, for the 5th time. Every time we have been investigated we have been cleared of all allegations. Common sense would tell these people that when the same person keeps calling in reporting a family, and every time you spend months doing an investigation and find it all to be false, to stop listening. All the time that is spent on investigating false claims takes time away from a child that is truly being abused. I for one, after being the victim of these witch hunts, now refuse to allow them any access to my home and my children, and if they show up, I instruct them to leave my property if they do not have a warrant. This is immediately followed by handing them one of my attorney’s cards, of which I now have a stack. Giving up ones rights to these people is asking for a problem. On this I know.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I pray you will once again find justice.
Becky
As someone who works as a CPS agent, we certainly come into frequent contact with false allegations. I would venture to say that a good 80% of allegations come out to be nothing. And as much as I’d LOVE to ignore the report that I know is most likely false and get back to the cases in which I have actual concerns about, it is against the law for me to do so. I have to follow statute regarding following up on reports, just as parents have to do what they feel is best for their children.
I don’t know the laws of wherever you reside, but for us the responsibility to prosecute false reports lies with the State Attorney’s Office, not with CPS. We forward several cases of false reporting to them, but (frustratingly for us as well) they are not followed up upon because a) they are hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt in court and b) prosecutors are busy people too, and consider these a relatively “minor” crime in relation to others (not that I agree).
So, I truly sympathize with your situation. I would be angry as well. And trust me, the poor investigator stuck coming out to your house who has 50 other REAL cases to deal with isn’t happy to be there either.
And, as an FYI (I know you didn’t mention this in your comment but I’ve seen it mentioned several times here), removing children from their parents is THE LAST thing I want to do. It is unbelievably traumatic for the kids (and parents) and is a ridiculous amount of paperwork and headache for the investigator. Again, I can’t speak for the people who have been referenced previously, but for me to remove children, I have to truly believe that the consequence of me not doing so would mean serious injury or death for that child.
It is always reassuring to learn of conscientious caring case workers seeking the best for children in the system. Thank you for sharing.
I have had an open case with CPS for over a year now, I am going back and forth to court because the worker is trying her best to remove my 3 children and my granddaughter. I openly suggested that my 11 yr old son goes to counseling however he felt he was being punished and I didn’t think it should continue along with my 17 year old daughter. The CPS worker does not call or follow up with me, she rather call my ex husband and talk to him about my children… Now she wants my children removed for not completing therapy what can I do?
Hi Patricia,
I don’t exactly know what you can do, or what is the wise thing to do. Allison Folmar says you can demand a trial of your peers (not sure that would resolve the issue quickly). You can get legal representation. If you can’t afford it, you can check into this resource. http://www.parentalrights.org/index.asp?SEC=BA469634-08FA-416B-980B-293E665F44FD&Type=B_BASIC
But most of all I would pray. “In the name and power of Jesus Christ I ask that all forces colluding against justice in the family of Patricia be stopped. I pray that you will protect Patricia and her children and grandchild from all evil forces and bring them all into the brilliant love and light you came to earth to provide. I thank you, God, our Creator, for your love and faithfulness in the face of an evil unjust world. Help Patricia to feel Your loving arms wrapped around her and giving her strength and wisdom.”
Becky
You sound like a social worker. ALL ALLEGATIONS of child abuse or neglect do not HAVE to be investigated. (Just look at the cases of abuse and neglect within the foster care system) The social worker can and often does make an inquiry, usually by ASKING you for information, or ASKING you to contact them, or ASKING you to bring your children to their office. A QUESTION ASKED may be responded to by saying “yes” or “NO”. Parents, please learn to say “NO” loud and clear. It is your duty to protect your children. Don’t be a victim. Learn your rights and fighting back won’t feel like a fight, it’s just a matter of standing your ground. I assure you if CPS had so much power, they would not be asking, nor would they need to resort to coercive and intimidating guerilla tactics in order to get you to waive your rights, they would just remove the child. I didn’t “cooperate” with CPS and I didn’t lose my child. I joined a forum where a number of people DID cooperate, and they lost their children. Some of them forever. CPS is nothing but smoke and mirrors. They have no power except that which we give them. Just open your eyes and you will find this to be true. The idea is to is to stop them in their tracks IN THE BEGINNING, understand their tactics and how to counter them so that you and your family will come out on top with your family unit still intact. Now there are children who are at imminent risk…but based on what I’ve seen, a number of those children ARE LEFT IN THOSE HOMES BY CPS and left to die. It is sad and tragic, yes. But the fact is, there are many more who are suffering in FOSTER CARE. Just look at the name “foster”. Look it up and see what it means. Can you actually apply a word with this meaning to someone who takes in other people’s children for money? I don’t care if they are actually “decent” to the kids because they SHOULD be. Perhaps some of them are decent because they feel guilty about receiving monthly stipends for kidnapped children. Perhaps. But where are the foster care success stories? What about the MANY children who die and suffer horrendous abuse at the hands of strangers in foster care, when they had perfectly good parents at home, whose only crime was to leave a single dish in the sink or have the nerve to discipline their child, as is their God given right! The author is not responsible for what people do with her advice! The people that read it are responsible for what they do with it and their actions are their own. I’m sorry but I believe that the best place for a child is in their home, or with a caring family member. Given that there is no guarantee that when a little one is yanked out of the home, they will be placed somewhere where they are actually cared for, I’d much rather see CPS abolished and destroyed. They’ve destroyed countless lives needlessly and their consciences are probably seared with a hot iron. I have yet to see a social worker who wasn’t a psychopathic liar…or a judge or an attorney for that matter. They lie, they lie, they LIE.
Don’t believe their lies.
Okay so you are saying that all the allegations against my family every 3 months are true? Really, I find that amazing since they are coming from my sister-in-law and are always found false. I am sick of them showing up at my door and accusing me and my husband of not taking care of my children, and only in this state. Yet the people across the street are methheads who sell it out of their house with their 2 small children, and have never seen them have DFS at their house once! Tell me the logic in that one!
Justified? Are you on drugs?
My grandchildren were taken illegally.
Then abused in there system under supervised visits!
Pictures taken and sent to the state, and it took them 31 days to get them out of that imminent danger. FAMILY FIRST? LOL
Though never abused in my daughters care.
They were kidnapped on lies of a baby having drugs in his system at birth.
Hospital records brought in proving it was not true.
They removed all three children.
I have evidence to everything I’m stating yet who cares?
They over exaggerate.
Nothing is ever justified while stepping on everyone’s rights with lies.
Why aren’t charges filed against parents?
Because they can’t prove their lies.
This is civil? PLEASE WE’RE CATCHING ON, WITH EVIDENCE.
In Florida, parents get a shelter hearing within 24 hours. Evidence is required. And removal is the last resort, when there is no other way to keep the child(ren) safe in the home. No one at CPS wants to take children from their families. It is heart breaking. CPS workers are human beings. They have families. They are not interested in destroying other people’s families. That is ridiculous. If your child was taken, you should stop making accusations and start looking at yourself. What about your life style or the environment your family lives in is unsafe for your child? Safety of the child is the only concern of CPS.
In Florida, CPS is accountable for their actions and the only reason a child would be removed is if there is no other way to keep the child safe while in the home. Please do not tell people not to cooperate. It’s harmful.
So what do you do if you were not home and the police come and tell a half slow man to get them up that they need to o down to police station to talk to them and they will be back. Then the police call u they already have your kids you get there and they tell u police protective custody for 72hrs and they will notify you but they dont they say they called how is a call that goes unanswered a legal way to notify me of court and since i dont know I dont show up and kvc takes my kids?????
I wish we would have known this a few months ago when they arrived on our doorstep and ended up taking our granddaughter when she was not in any harm.
I wish I’d known this a year and a half ago.
I love Becky Hastings!! She is right on!! CPS has often done more harm than good. Been there.
They were born to us, but we offered them up as collateral when we signed birth certificates not as mother or father, but as the informants and then solidified this action of overturning parental power to the government by way of an actual sale, in the form of accepting money from the government i.e: “tax break”.
And most important, if your children are in school or day care, have a document drafted to be kept in their student file saying your children shall not be questioned or interviewed without you or your attorney present.
Do you suggest this as a preventative measure, or something to do after you’ve received a visit from CPS?
CPS can and does go to your child’s school to question them before u even know there is an allegation.
If an adult can not be taken and questioned by police, CPS or any other authority without representation than how can a child of 4 years old be pulled out of a pre-school class and questioned without some type of advocate there for them. This happened with my grandson all because he came to school with a bruise on him caused by him and his brother having a spat. Its a shame a 4 year old now knows the word CPS and that his mother or father can be taken away and questioned and even arrested. Now this child gets nervous if he is questioned or taken from his classroom. Also if a strange car shows up at his house with strangers in it he gets upset. And God forbid if he sees a policeman, than he really panics.
Lynda
I’m so sorry to hear of your family’s trauma. It truly seems as if all attempts to investigate potential abuse is in itself traumatic and sometimes abusive from the child’s point of view. While there are many good people in the CPS system, every day I hear more cases of innocent families suffering due to the overzealous investigations. I believe we need the power of prayer and wisdom of Jesus to guide us as there are no easy answers. I read in Lamentations 3:58-59 this morning:
Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case!
For you have redeemed my life.
You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord.
Be my judge, and prove me right.
Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
These children, like your grandson, particularly need our prayer so that they can come to know full and complete healing.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Becky
Depending on state/provincial laws, the CPS worker may not need parental permission to interview a child. Having a document on file will not always allow a school or daycare worker to deny access. These laws are in place to protect the children who might be being abused.
In Virginia CPS can speak with a child without parental consent and a statement to the contrary does not change that. The school or childcare would not be able to enforce your wishes, written or otherwise.
If your kids are in private school that your written statement would apply. Because CPS can only go into publicly funded schools (federal govt). Private school they can’t they require your permission. Never ever relenquish your permissions or rights or even letting them into your home. They have to come back with a warrant to search or seize. Read up on our Constitutional amendments they seem to be dwindling by the second.
Yes, but your children are also protected under the same laws as you are, and have a right to be free from abuse, be it emotional, mental or physical.
If you prefer to live in a country where children don’t have these protections, then hundreds of thousands of them would grow up being beaten, neglected, sexually abused, and so forth every year. If you want to put your pettiness above the good of all babies and children, then there’s something wrong with you. Child Protective Services may not be perfect, but it has a purpose and a mandate to protect innocents, even from their parents.
If you have an issue with CPS, then perhaps you should work to fix these problems, ensure more foster homes are available, and work with these Social Workers, not against them. The only people who act like above, are generally guilty and hiding something, or they would allow them in, sit down, and discuss their issues like mature responsible adults. After all, someone was worried enough about your children to call them, or perhaps it was your own child.
No one is perfect, and an adult’s inability to parent properly shouldn’t come at the expense of their children, no matter if they believe otherwise. Personally, parents should have to go for training, have to pass and qualify, before a helpless baby is allowed into their care.
Interesting thought Katie. I guess God neglected to issue a qualifying test for parenthood. I’ve been working with brand new moms for 25+ years and I am always amazed at how a new baby “grows” their parents. Not one of us was ever ready to be a parent, yet our children train us to be what they need. I’m not sure who you think should run this essential parenting training, but I feel that allowing a state program to give training and expecting that it will give the maturity and wisdom a parent needs is a very optimistic idea. If we think government has all the answers, we are only ensnaring ourselves further under that government control.