I was contacted by CPS and I refused to let them in.

[tonijo22]

I am new here. And, I am terrified. In August, my children's father and I got into a disagreement over car keys, he tried to restrain me, I ran out the door and called the police. In the meantime, he left with my car and the children. The police told me, they would not look for my boys ages 1 and 2 because they were with their father and that was not illegal. And, they weren't in any danger. The city prosecutor said he wasn't filing any charges as a crime was not commited. But, the police notified CPS. I assume for domestic violence. Although there wasn't any. Now 3 months later, I receive a call from CPS, saying they need to speak with me. I told them, I was willing to cooperate, but within the limits of the law, and the law states they cannot enter my home without a warrant. I also said, I want to help you close your investigation, and I will meet you in your office. They want to see us tomorrow. I am terrified!! Do I bring the children?? Did I make a mistake? What do I do now? Please help. I read some of the other horror stories. I don't want to go through any of that. This morning on the phone the worker said to me, " So now your willing to cooperate?" I asked her what she was talking about, I had no idea they were trying to contact me. She said she'd been to my house 7 times. Yet, she never left a note. I work out of the home and I am always home. I live in Nebraska it's been nice for the past 2 months and my doors are always open. No one came to my door. They called my son's cell phone. They never called my house phone. They said they didn't have the number, yet it is listed under my name in the phone book?? They are already lying. I can't afford an attorney. What do I do?

[monkette31]

Here's a page to read, familyrights.us , also there are some more, http://www.examiner.com/cps-and-family- ... -your-door

http://kidjacked.com/defense/15_helpful_tips.asp

These are good pages to read, they are trying to get your family into their "services" so that they can get paid. Realize that with any "services" that they offer voluntarily to your family, you, by signing them, will have just admitted to child abuse and your names will go on a central registry, they will not tell you this either. They are fishing for information so it's good to have a sitdown with your child as they may also show up at the school. Do not offer them information of any kind, they will look for family phone numbers and call family members anything to try and intimidate you into their "services".

[brookeycookie]

DON'T TAKE THE CHILDREN! ....unless its court ordered. They CAN and MAY have police there and take your kids on the spot. (Even if they tell you they wont.

[tonijo22]

Thank you so much for your responses. I appreciate it so much. So, if I don't take the children, will they close their case? What do I do next? Please, I only have until 11:00 am tomorrow morning. I don't want to make any mistakes! I need advice!

[monkette31]

I would take the children and leave them with family members and go to the meeting. It is most likely a meeting like they have out here in Cali. They are called TDM's (team decision meeting) (threaten and demote is more like it) and they will try and get you and your spouse to agree in any way that there is some sort of problem. They will ask you all sorts of intimate questions as if they are trained psychologists...and try and coerce your family into at worst, completely breaking up, with alleged abuser moving out, you both have parenting classes, therapy, psych evaluations and children gone from you both to maybe just an evaluation or something. They will want you to sign releases of information on your children's medical and dental records, so they can come up with whatever they can find. You should not sign anything or a service agreement because then you will never be able to go to trial if they should decide to do whatever they want with your children and family later down the line. (guardianship,adoption)

I am sure they are going to tell you that they just want to close the case and need this and that but the only thing you are doing by giving them your private records is giving them ways to bring your family into their services. After you agree to something like this, you will have no rights as a parent. They will have the right to take your children on whim and they do all the time, at any time because you signed and agreed there was a problem. It backs up their case even more. I hope you can get rid of these creeps.

Do not tell them where the children are while you are at the meeting, you can just say they are safe.
What state are you in?

[tonijo22]

Thank you once again for your reply. I am getting ready to go now. I am calm and level headed. We'll see how it goes. I will keep you posted. Once again, Thank You, from the bottom of my heart! Just talking with someone who know something more than the nothing I know, is comforting.

[tonijo22]

I went to the meeting, I met the sw and she said, "you didn't bring the children" I said I was advised not to" She shook her head and laughed to herself. I explained that I wanted her to close her case,and I was willing to meet her half way. So, I took pics of my children and my home, where we sleep, their beds, where they eat and play and bathe, pics of my fridge and my pantry. Pics with all of us in them with the clothes I was wearing etc. She said, as it is not normal procedure, and those would be the things they would be looking for, that was not why I was there. I asked her, " So you don't want to see the pics" she didn't answer and I kept them to myself. She asked several questions as to what happened the day of the argument, I explained, it was no big deal, i didn't want him leaving with my car and my kids etc. Then she said, this part of my investigation is up to you whether or not you wish to answer....She asked about my children's health, I responded, never ill, never any antibiotics. She asked if they see the same pediatrician, I said yes. She said who. I told her I was advised not to answer. Once again she shook her head, laughed to herself. She told me she was concluding the interview as I was uncooperative. I said wait a minute, what does that mean? She said, "she would turn it over to her supervisor, then the administration and they would make a decision, the conversation is over". She said, oh, how can I reach you? I said the number you called. She said, which was.., I told her. She said, what about Steve....same number? I said "no I told you he doesn't live with us. His number is ..........I told her bye, have a nice day...she said "ya" So, what do you think? Oh, I live in Nebraska.

[monkette31]

I think it went well. Giving them as little information as possible is best. You need to sit down with your kids because she will most likely hit the school and try and dig information up there. She will also probably call Steve and might even just damn well lie to him and get him all flustered in order to create more information. Yes, she will tell her supervisor and maybe they will just close the case. Make sure your kids medical and dental are up to date, she could try and get Steve to sign off on documents. I bet she tries the split the parents and get them fighting method. Tell Steve not to give her family phone numbers as well for the caseworker/investigator will call there and sniff around for info. Talk to your kids, they try and get kids to say whatever they want and it's sick how they can interview children at school without parents present. You can also call the school and notify them that you do not want your children being interviewed by cps without a parent present.

[monkette31]

Here is a Nebraska cps reform group on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001935590869

There are some other fb groups that can help:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/cpsvictims/ (victims of cps bank)
http://www.facebook.com/groups/260687801934/ (i hate cps)
http://www.facebook.com/groups/familyrights/ (american family rights assoc.)
http://www.facebook.com/groups/fightingforfamiliies/ (fighting for families support group)
http://www.facebook.com/groups/276442187540/ (government abuse is child abuse)
http://www.facebook.com/groups/174058039298069/ (fight dcfs corruption)

[monkette31]

Here's some Nebraska related articles I found on http://www.nccprblog.org :

http://tinyurl.com/3jecb4w

[tonijo22]

Thank you for all the info! Luckily for me, my kids aren't in school as they are 1 and 2 years old. Which was the reason I gave for not bringing them. It would be absurd to try to interview a 1 yr old. As far as my 2 year old goes, I can barely get him to tell me when he has to poop! So, there is no need to to interview, lawyers office or not. It makes no sense to me why they are pursuing me. The sw admitted that the police told her my children were NOT in any danger, which is why they weren't going after them. It is not a crime if the father leaves with the children without the mothers permission. And, the prosecutor said a crime had not been committed, therefore he was not filing charges. I just don't get on what grounds they think they think they need to investigate. Here we are two days later and they still haven't even tried to call Steve. Maybe that means they are just going to drop it. I hope! Monkette31, I just wanted to say Thank you, and most importantly for you taking the time to respond. I would tell you I'm grateful, but that would be a major UNDERSTATEMENT! I too hope I can get rid of these creeps!!!!!! he he

[tonijo22]

brookeycookie, Thank you too!! I honestly believe you two were right not to bring the kids!

[tonijo22]

UPDATE...or lack thereof! I was contacted by CPS back in October. I refused to let them in. I went to the interview, without the kids. I refused to give any info about my kid's doctor etc. Now here we are in the middle of January and I have never heard back from them. No phone call, no letter nothing. They asked for my children's fathers phone number and they never even contacted him. So, can anyone tell me what this means? Do they just go away? Is there investigation over? Don't they have to do something...like close their case and let me know. It's been over 3 months, but I am scared to contact them, because if they aren't thinking about us...I don't want them to! LOL

[Daruma]

If I were you, I wouldn't contact them. It can't possibly do you any good to bring yourself to their attention.

If you're on good terms with the dad, please be sure he understands why he shouldn't talk to them if he's ever contacted. Of course, if you think he's the vengeful type, that advice doesn't apply. You don't want to give him any information or ideas he could use to hurt you.

Are you keeping a log of all interactions with CPS? It would be a good idea for you to do that, just in case they come back into your life. But I hope they won't. Obviously they don't think there's any immediate risk of harm to your kids.

You handled it really well. I hope you've seen the last of them.

[brookeycookie]

I so wish I'd of been as firm as you! And so happy you did it! Keep reading, keep preparing, and don't back down. Hopefully you'll get their bullshit letter ina few months, saying they closed unfounded. Virtual high five, you just made my day. ...and don't call them, I agree, let sleeping dogs .....

[tonijo22]

Thank you, Brookeycookie and Daruma for your responses. I really didn't think it was a good idea to contact them. But, honestly it is making me crazy. I would just like some sort of closure. In response, yes I am keeping a journal. When I went to the interview, I brought a voice activated recorder...(that didn't even work) and I told the worker that I was going to record our interview. I went through the motions...pretending to turn it on. I even asked her to state her name and worker number for the record...he he LOL. I also took notes right along with her. I was scared out of my mind!! But, I seriously wanted her to think twice about having to deal with me again. During the interview, She said that the police told her that my kid's dad and I were fighting because I said he was on drugs. I explained to her that was not what I said, DON'T YOU JUST LOVE HOW THEY TWIST YOUR WORDS! I was angry, and the worst insult I could think of was calling him a "meth head" (it does make him really mad) Anyway, I told her, "How would you like it if I said you were a meth head.....you are really underweight you know." She gave me the most bewildered, jaw dropping look....I told her, you wouldn't like it would you. Well, neither did he. I literally, turned almost every question she asked me, back on her. I questioned her about her kids and her husband. And, took notes! I don't think she was at all prepared for someone like me. If I would have had an older more experienced worker. It could have backfired on me. I wasn't cocky, and I took the interview very seriously. But, I did make sure she was as uncomfortable as I was.

[peetred]

Way to go. Good for you for sticking up to them. Just so you know, it could take months for them to officially close the case. In our case, they had to wait to go before the district attorney, with their 0 evidence. Just so you know, they can take any convo or contact you've had with them and twist it for the district attorney. That's why I flat out refused to talk to them or meet with them. It's a toss up. Know your rights. You don't have to meet with them, ever, unless they have a warrant or court order. They are not the law, and they are not above it.

[monkette31]

I'm sorry, that last comment struck me, CPS IS ABOVE THE LAW...remember they do intentional deceitful damage to families...their courts are not American in that they do not afford it's occupants (us) any DUE PROCESS of law. Accused, tricked and convicted, all helped by your court appointed lie-er....