People don't believe me

[Marina07]

Most of the time, when I tell my story to average people, they don't believe that CPS could possibly go after a family who did nothing. They think if CPS has removed children, and have made accusations, it must be true. My boyfriend and I are both educated people, we have college educations, we have careers, we lived in a nice house, we drove nice cars (notice the last two are past tense ). I keep wondering why they singled us out, and why people are so quick to believe CPS and not us. Most people are shocked of what my boyfriend is being accused of, but then they say, but why would CPS say it's true if it's not, and my answer is always, I don't know.

[Momoffor]

When I first started to open up to people what happened, thats when I discovered that so many people live in fear that they will be the next ones targeted. I had no idea that people were as aware of the lurking demon as they really are. There were no judgemental remarks, stares ect. Just nothing but support.

The majority of people that I told either knew someone or was related to someone that had been targeted before and what they are capable of. One friend said she has lived the past 7 years always looking over her shoulder. Worried that she might be next in line.Ironically at the time she told me this, her oldest child was exactly 7 years old. Go figure

I am sorry that people do not believe you. However, I do have to admit that sexual abuse is another ball game. Since I moved I havent been working the past few weeks, so have been watching a lot of court TV case junk. Doesnt matter what day of the week it is, they arent reruns that I have seen, but at least once a day there is someone in the 'court' that reported the other person to CPS. Several got their hands slapped and told not to do that again. Others got yelled at that they shouldnt be upset when someone is concerned about their child. (Depends on the weather I guess)

[Gary Shaw]

You have hit on the problem with trying to cause changes in the way CPS operates. Although almost everyone you talk to has had an experience with them or knows someone who has, for some strange reason they just can't believe that a government agency is so corrupt and evil, and after all, "We must protect the children." While I totally agree we must protect the children, I do not think we as a nation should resort to illegal or unconstitutional tactics to do so.

There are thousands of precious little children that are actually for real abused every month and these need to be protected. It is however a felony crime to abuse or molest a child and should be investigated and tried in the Criminal Justice System by professionals not by CPS.

CPS in their misdirected and misinformed zeal to intervene in family life is the greatest of all child abusers and must be stopped.

[Momoffor]

I just moved to the DC area about a month ago and just within the past few weeks there has been a HUGE backlash at CPS actions. There was a school social worker that kept calling the police and everyone she could to tell them there was something going on with the 4 girls that lived in the home. Nothing was done.

Within the past few weeks, the police were serving an eviction notice and made the discovery of the bodies. They believe that they were killed sometime in spring/summer of last year, but CPS says the reason they couldnt do anything is the mother wouldnt allow them into the home so they closed the case. (they were probably already dead at that point).

Now the mayor is swearing that CPS is going to be more through and take more measures in the future. The sad thing is, those social workers that care so much about the 'kids' were off on their vigilante runs with meaningless cases and innocent parents and couldnt take the time out to get the ones who really needed help and were crying out for help, yet 4 little lives were lost at their laziness and the assinine way that its being run.

Its just so overwhelmingly sad. Its equally overwhelmingly pathetic that the bodies of those kids were inside that house for close to 9 months (suspected) and yet NO ONE would listen. NO ONE from CPS would listen to what they were being told. NO ONE other than that school social worker CARED and she was brushed off.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=4131191

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/20 ... -says.html

This is what REALLY gets me
"Sabrina Brown, vice president of Local 2401 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents city social workers, said they are extremely overworked and urged people to look for solutions.
"We just need to talk, not to blame," she said"

[Gary Shaw]

That is always the answer from CPS. There are thousands of stories on this forum and thousands more on other forums. Does anyone remember even one where the case worker/investigator was described as seemingly overworked or stressed out , I don't?

Here in Georgia in 2005 a lawsuit was brought against DFCS in Federal Court, it did not go to trial, there was a negotiated settlement. The only changes made were that DFCS was given additional funding to hire 500 more case workers statewide. Other than that, No Change. The State was ordered to report to the Court no less than once a year with a progress report of how it was improving. They have not reported or at least it was done privately. The reports are not available to the public. I you or I purposely and knowingly disobeyed a court order a warrant would be issued immediately and we would be in jail.

Massive changes need to be made in all aspects of the Child Welfare system beginning with insuring that The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act requirements for states to receive funding are met. CAPTA is thirty one years old and only one state (New Hampshire, last year) has met all fourteen requirements for funding but all states have received their funding. There needs to be legislation that specifically defines Child Abuse and more specifically defines what is not Child Abuse. There needs to be more stringent hiring practices and qualifications for people who have so much unconstitutional power over family's well being. There needs to be much more training for these investigators and case workers, specifically in the Laws that govern what they can and can not do and in the U.S. Constitution and the rights it grants to all citizens.

[Marina07]

I agree that something needs to change. We just found out that DSS petitioned the courts today to drop the case against my boyfriend. He said he should be happy, but instead he feels angry and cheated. He could have his kids back as early as next week, but he feels that he missed out on the past couple months. Financially he is a mess, at a time when we were just getting back on track, and emotionally, it's going to be a lot of work to rebuild our family to what it was. We do believe we can do it, and we will, but there will always be that fear. His lawyer kind of joked, saying, next time you are peeing and the kids are home, lock the door! And he said, better yet, I am having my own private bathroom put in, and I only I have will have the key.

Basically, they had no case, that is why they are dropping it. Then, why, oh why, were his children removed?? How can someone be treated like their guilty before their guilt is proven. He had to have supervised visits with his children for 4 months. In my opinion, they jump all over something that isn't serious, and yet drag their feet on cases that really are life threatening. I just don't think it should be legal to take children from homes on a hunch or a suspicion, which is what CPS does.

And I actually wonder if more people I know have been investigated and they just don't talk about it. I know my friends at work and I sometimes joke that we can't discipline our kids (tell them no, put them in time-out, or spank them) without CPS coming to find out why we aren't letting our kids do whatever they want. And ironically, my boyfriend and I were very gentle with discipline, we don't spank, and we only use time-outs as a last resport or when it's something physical, like hitting, kicking, or biting. For the most part, we used positive reinforcement, and rewards as a form of discipline. Our kids are our lives, and I am still shocked that our parenting and way of life was put into question like it was.