Child Protective Services

Having a visit by a Child Protective Service Worker is a very scary event. First comes the knock at the door. At first your thinking it's a friend or family member, and you open the door with a smile. Your introduced to a CPS Worker and your smile turns upside down. Your heart races and you face becomes flush. Your thinking what on earth would this person being doing here. You politely ask them what is the problem, thinking maybe they have the wrong house. And then, they clearly tell you that someone has made a complaint against you and they would like to come in.

Anger and fear are the typical reaction. Appalled that someone would ever dream of calling these people on you. You rack your memory for anything and anyone who could possibly do this to you, as you are inviting this stranger into your home. You're looking around the house, making sure things are in order, not wanting her to use the few dishes in the sink, or the pile of newly washed clothes on your couch that you haven't had time to fold, against you.

As the CPS Worker begins to explain the situation, you stare at them with shock. Still concentrating on why someone would call and complain against you. Your children are bathed, clothed, feed, and regularly attend public facilities and functions, what possible could be wrong. Anger may be your first reaction, one for the accusation and two, because the CPS Worker is talking to you as if you are guilty.

Speaking from experience, I have come to the conclusion that they are doing their job. If someone calls and complains, a CPS Worker must check on the complaint, whether valid or not, or how small or large the incident may have been. Even though you feel as if the complaint is invalid, the CPS Worker is obligated to investigate. Child Protective Services is a great government service, for the children who are actually being abused or neglected.

The definition of child abuse is "physical, sexual, or emotional maltreatment or neglect of children by parents, guardians, or others responsible for a child's welfare," as stated by the encyclopedia on Yahoo.
The definition of neglect is "Child neglect is the failure to provide for the shelter, safety, supervision and nutritional needs of the child. Child neglect may be physical, educational, or emotional neglect", as reported by MedicineNet.com. Some of these are harder to prove than others, but are very serious situations. There are also other serious situations, such as when Case Workers makes a quick assumption, and takes children out of their homes, and place them in situation where there really are being abused or neglected. This has happened many times before, as stated by an online website called 'Liftingtheveil.com.'

This is why the CPS Worker must have an introductory assessment of your family. After the first initial introduction, the CPS Worker will ask to see the child or children in the household. She/He may ask to speak to them alone or with you present. The CPS Worker will then make an accessment of the household situation and the accusation.

This is where things get a little tricky. In some cases, the CPS Worker will send you a letter, stating they are closing the case. But in other cases, the CPS Worker will want to further continue her/his evalution, because of something you or your child said, or she/he observed something else during the visit. This can be a very frustrating moment for parents. Especially when the allegations are so far fetched and can seem rediculous.

One instints of a far fetched claim, after the first introduction, is a child's sleep schedule. Not all parents work day shift, or even a normal afternoon shift. There are parents who work the midnight shift, and schedule their child's sleep patterns to coincide with theirs. This would not cause any problem for children that do not attend a day preschool or are in grade school. But this has been raised by a social worker in my community as a problem that constitutes her calling and harrassing the parent, and threatening to take the child. Not all parents are perfect, but do strive to provide the best for their children. What a CPS Worker must understand, is that their job is to evaluate the terms child abuse and child neglect. CPS Workers can not come into a parent or guardians home, and use their own parental experience to determine whether a parent is doing something wrong, especially if it is not affecting the child in an abuse or neglect situation.

Although a parent may feel they have nothing to hide, and open their doors to Child Protective Services, parents have to remember that these people are not your friend. They are there to be an advocate for your children, and you are the peson of interest. Do not spill your guts about the problems you had with your boyfriend or husband, with your mother, your father or your sister. Stick to the point; Who, What, Why, Where, and When that is associated with the allegation. If you refuse conversation, or a visitation with your children, with the CPS Worker, you may very well put your family at risk of future problems with this County Service.

Sources:

Yahoo Encyclopdia, http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=9968, education.yahoo.com

MedicineNet.com, http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=8358, www.medterms.com

http://www.liftingtheveil.org/foster03.htm, A Critical look at the Foster Care System: How Safe The Service?