# of unfounded investigations before removal of kids.

[kdddav'swife]

Does anyone know if there is a limit to the number of unfounded investigatations a family can have before the children are removed?What I mean is I have heard that if a family has more than one unfounded investigation that CPS will sometimes remove the children becouse of that.

[Dan Sullivan]

An unfounded report means there was no credible evidence of abuse or neglect.

Why should CPS remove children when they weren't maltreated?

Dan

[kdddav'swife]

I cannot remember exactly where I read this but somewhere I heard that CPS will remove children based on the number of previous reports on a family, even if they were unfounded. Supposedly the reasoning is that if a family is getting so many reports, even if unfounded, then something must be going on.

We have had three investigations on us in Florida. All were unfounded. I firmly believe that the last one started becouse a guidance counselor at school had access to our hotline records and figured that we were getting away with something. We continue to live in fear every day. As to the question of why would CPS remove a child in an unfounded investigation -hmmm well who knows why CPS does a lot of the things that they do? According to the information that I have read on this site and on AFRA they DO remove a substantial number of children who are not alleged to have been neglected or abused.

I do know that in some truly abusive families the perpetrator will "pick on" one child in particular and not the others in the family so this may account for at least some of the kids who were not abused personally. As for the rest who knows? All of us on this site know that the list of allegations can be as long as our legs.

I guess what I should have asked is wether CPS CAN remove children based on numerous unfounded investigations. I was VERY tired when I started this thread last night.

[Dan Sullivan]

I cannot remember exactly where I read this but somewhere I heard that CPS will remove children based on the number of previous reports on a family, even if they were unfounded. Supposedly the reasoning is that if a family is getting so many reports, even if unfounded, then something must be going on.

<<<snip>>>

I guess what I should have asked is wether CPS CAN remove children based on numerous unfounded investigations. I was VERY tired when I started this thread last night.

It would only make sense to investigate the person who was making all the false reports... rather than punish the people on the receiving end.

But we know "sense" rarely plays any part of a CPS investigation.

Dan

[scarfyrre]

No, they cannot. Unfounded means no evidence was found to support the allegation.

Gather as much legal information as you can about CPS and harassment by them and by the callers, and next time CPS comes knocking you inform them instead of checking you, they need to screen their callers better. Then cite legal reasons why.

Unless it's three different people who are total strangers to you making the same accusation, then that becomes harassment. Let them know you are fully aware of the laws regarding this, and if they do not cease and desist, you will contact a lawyer.

Stand up for yourself. Get educated on the laws and policies of your state. If you're innocent, then get angry and do not allow them to stomp all over you.

This is up to you, but if I suspected someone at school doing this, I would go to the principal and get a meeting. In a polite but firm way, let them know that false accusations could be taken as harassment, and if they have a problem with you to please take a meeting *with* you.

If the CPS worker and the principal don't want to listen, go up the ladder until someone does.

This is up to you, of course. It's what I'd do, but I honestly have no fear any longer. They've messed with the wrong woman in me, make it so they know that for you, as well.

[AllForThisSite]

You may have heard it from me because that is the reason why my aunt's children were taken. She had 28 reports made on her in 5 years I think it was. Only 2 were founded. CPS told her they had exhausted themselves investigating false reports and that it would be in her best interest to move and she couldn't move. So the basis of the court hearing when the children were removed from her were that the CPS agency had exhausted themselves investigating false reports and felt like removal of the children until my aunt could move would perhaps be the best likely fit for the situation so the children were sent to live with their father's. CPS never did a home visit with the father's but rather let the children live with them for up to 2 years. When my aunt got a home and had lived up to bi-weekly visits for 1 year to insure stabilization, the children were returned to her. More calls were made on her again and she lost them again. Two of the children have been returned to her because they aged out.

[Frustrated]

I heard the same thing, I heard from the CPS, that if the person filed too many reports, up to 20, it would generate some suspicion. They kept on calling them "Pattern". I am sick of them thinking there is a "pattern" of abuse or neglect on you, whereas the calls were called by Revengeful Callers, and filed a false report. AND the CPS Believes all of them.

Just when we were initiating the Service Plan, she brought up "Pattern" into the Questions, and I knew that I got too many cases, and she kept on thinking there is a Pattern going on spanning for about 12 yrs. I think they are starting to pin that one on me, this time around instead of my Hubby. Which I thought the allegations were against my Hubby, but now it is about me?

Patterns! ummph Yeah, Patterns of False Reports made by the Callers!

[kdddav'swife]

Actually, it was three different indaviduals who made the reports on us. #1 was my youngest childs bus driver for the handicapped bus. She apparently decided that I was not telling the truth when I stated that my child HAD been to the doctor for a yeast infection that was causing her great discomfort on the bus and in school . #2 is still a mystery. All I know is that I came home one day to find that a CPS investigator had walked in through a propped open door while my husband was doing some housework/cleaning and accused him of letting the kids run through the woods at midnight. She didn't like the way the place looked even though it would have been obvious to a blind and deaf person that he was cleaning. She called in a report herself for hazardous conditions. #3 began becouse of a guidance counselor who ,for reasons that we still do not understand , did not like my husband who is disabled. She apparently thought that some of my middle daughters behaviors were indicative of sexual abuse. My daughter has learning disabiliities that include memory deficits. The counselor was totally aware of all her issues and yet she questioned her inappropriatley about things that allegedly happened a long time ago.

I did have a meeting with the principal right after this happened. She never called in Mrs. Evilguidancecounselor to talk to us becouse the aforementioned is protected in three ways. Kdddav wrote several letters to just about everyone he could think of trying to get her fired (we called for her resignation) to no avail. Everyone just tells us to get an attorney and we cannot afford one.