Answers to Recent Questions

1.  An MFT is a Marriage Family Therapist. A new law passed that is going to require all social workers to have some kind of license. Rather than go back to school full time, many social workers are getting certified as an MFT which, in my opinion, is much easier. However, this “accreditation” makes them look more like some kind of  “expert” when it comes to the emotional well-being of children and to assess the parents. It doesn’t really but on paper it looks good. They have their own way of “expertly judging” people which is simply – ALL PARENTS AND FAMILIES ARE BAD. I have heard more than one social worker make this statement. Makes you wonder, do they think that they are bad parents too? Well, why don’t we start asking them? However, many social workers are actually child-less anyway.

2.  If you are looking for ways to “fight” CPS, I can assure you that they more you openly fight them the worse it will get for you. There are things that you can do however, to make it so that your case costs them more money than they want to spend. If they offer counseling, ask the counselor if you could see them more often or for a longer period of time, if you are doing substance abuse treatment, tell your counselor that you need to be drug tested more often or tell the social worker to give you a color because testing keeps you from doing drugs so the more often you test the more success your “program” will be. Make sure that you get a bus pass for everyone in your family even if you don’t need them.  Tell your attorney to appeal something after every hearing (they are always ruling something against the parents), if your children are not in counseling, ask for them to get some. You could tell the worker that you are depressed and they will refer you to mental health. Get some pills even if you don’t take them, at the third session ask to add Abilify (that is expensive stuff), again, you don’t actually have to take the medication. If the social workers aren’t giving you the case plan referrals, tell your attorney to file a contempt of court and get an ex-parte hearing on that. Once you get an understanding of all the “services” that are available to you, use your imagination. Get everything possible out of these people.

Also, look for my Hearing Audit, fill it out and send it to the OIG and the GOA (explained in the package), this will remove all their funding if they didn’t conduct the court hearings the way they are supposed to (and they never do). 

Other than that, there really isn’t any way to “beat” them. Just do what they want, try to be as patient as possible, remain calm when you speak to them, understand that they are playing games with you and since they have your kids, or could remove them at any time, they have you where they want you. I am sorry to be the one to tell you this if you don’t already know it. 

You can sue them when your case is closed. Shawn McMillan takes those cases but not until the case is closed and don’t wait more than two years from the date that the child was removed. 

3.  If your case is in Riverside County and worker or their supervisor is Angela Franklin, Sonia Correa, Ja Hari Weir, Kristine Vernier, Paul Gaines, Pam Lind, Carrie Mossiello, Lisa Mariano, Lizette Maciel, Donna Woods, or anyone from the Temecula office, you are in for a heavy dose of “screw the parents”. Just sayin’. Watch out for the “investigators” too, they will try to use the Riverside County Sheriffs to intimidate you.