Child Protective Services- Topic 1: Referrals

Referral has two meanings in Child Protective Services

Referral=When someone calls a CPS hotline and says that they believe a child is being abused.

Referral= An approval and authorization to provide payment to a “service” that is “required” and demanded upon you in order to get your child(ren) back from CPS such as counseling, drug testing and parenting classes.

For this post I will be “referring” to the first REFERRAL I described above.

Who called CPS on you? Was it a family member or close friend?

This is the shittiest type of referral because these are the people who are supposed to be there for you, not feed you to the wolves. If a family member or close friend feels that they are “helping” you by calling CPS on you then they do not deserve to be considered family or close friend. With friends and family like that, you don’t need any enemies. If you are one of those family or friends that have called on someone, I think that if you are here, you are regretting it. It’s OK, at least you are here and most people have no clue as to what they are doing to a family when they make that call. But did you have the BEST intentions? NO you didn’t but still, you are here. The best thing you can do for them now is TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID AND DO IT IN COURT AND ON PAPER, SUBMIT IT TO THE JUDGE PERSONALLY. HELP YOUR FAMILY MEMBER OR CLOSE FRIEND AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!

ANYONE CAN CALL THE CPS HOTLINE and report anything they want regardless of whether they are telling the truth or NOT.  A disgruntled neighbor, friend, family member, an ex-spouse or partner, your child’s friend’s mother or father, a complete stranger who witnessed you yelling at your kid in the grocery store and managed to get the phone number you have on your car advertising your business, a jogger passing by your house and hears a loud bang and then the cry of a child (this really happened to a friend of my brother’s.  The loud bang was a broomstick falling to the floor and it startled a young child causing them to cry. The broom wasn’t even close to hitting the child.)  The person making the “referral” does not have to have proof nor do they ever have to testify! NEVER! Their names are kept secret (unless they call your social worker directly while you have an open case, then this information may be in the case/contact log). No background check for the person’s credibility will be performed and they can be convicted child abusers themselves!

What can you do to avoid the “referral” by someone you know? You certainly can lower the odds by just getting along with people. I wish I would have put more effort into not being a bitch to my husband’s ex-wife that is for sure! I thought I was so much better than her, I looked at her like she was a piece of shit (she was and still is) but I didn’t have to go out of my way to write her that letter telling her so. I had my reasons at the time but golly gee willicker, if I could go back in time, I would kiss that woman’s ass for sure! I had no idea of the evil she was capable of doing. So be kind to your neighbors, ex-spouse or girlfriend, be tolerant of certain personality defects, try your best to be firm but always nice. Don’t piss your mother off (they must rank #4 in the people who call!) and try to get along with your sister. This would not only improve your chances of not being falsely reported, it also strengthens your family bonds and that is positive for everyone.

 MANDATED REPORTERS AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS

A lot of calls are from “mandated reporters” who are professionals who can be charged with a crime for failing to report “suspected” child abuse either in criminal or civil court as well as pay a hefty fine and possibly lose their license.  I believe that there may be a minimum referral quota but I can not verify that.  

Here is a partial list of “Mandated Reporters”:

School teachers

School Nurse

School Principal

School Counselor

School Janitor

School Administrator

School Staff

School Volunteer

School Cafeteria Lady/Worker

School Clerk/Office Staff

School Librarian

School Social Worker

Hospital Doctor

Hospital Nurse

Hospital Administrator

Hospital Social Worker

Hospital Staff

Hospital Chaplin

Regular Doctor

Doctor’s Nurse

Doctor’s Office Staff

Doctor’s Aide

Psychologist/Psychiatrist

Counselor/Therapist

Daycare Administrators

Daycare worker

Dentist

Dental Assistant

Dental Office Staff

Police Officers

Code Enforcement Officers

Animal Control Officers

Probation Officers

Substance Abuse Program Directors, Counselors, Volunteers and Office Staff

Domestic Violence Prevention Program Directors, Counselors, Volunteers and Office Staff

Parenting Class Teacher, Administrator, Volunteers and Office Staff

Anyone who works at Macy’s Department Store (no kidding!)

Utility Workers (like the people that come out to turn on/off your electricity, water or gas)

Refuse Pick-up Drivers

Mail Delivery Persons

ANY PERSON WHO WORKS FOR GOVERNMENT INCLUDING CITY, COUNTY, STATE AND FEDERAL!

 

 REFERRAL PROCESS:

Each CPS office has its own referral evaluation process.  You should be able to find the one for your county by searching, “Child Welfare Policies in ____ County”.  How the agency in your area responds depends on several factors such as current case load, budget conditions and case to staff ratio. All too often calls will be “evaluated out” simply because they were understaffed and over budget already. Even more disgusting is when CPS KNOWS a child is in real danger and they don’t do a damn thing! They let that child get hurt or die just so they can spin it so that they can say they need more money! Shameful, despicable behavior!

The call center will receive the call, ask pertinent information about the child and the child’s family and/or residence but they will not verify the caller’s credibility whatsoever. Personally, the person who called on us was herself a child abuser and on the CACI index along with having a criminal record which included child endangerment. Not to mention a lengthy drug abuse history!

At your first hearing be sure to OBJECT to any policy violations that you can find. If they are supposed to get a warrant then OBJECT to the detention of your children on the grounds that they violated ____ Policy (state your source which is the Manual for your county). Do this especially if they did not have any valid reason to suspect that your child was at imminent risk. Such as simply school attendance ONE alleged positive drug test or for refusing to drug test. You can use this policy in your Objections, Declaration and Statements of Fact in Response to the Petition and Detention Reports.  Be sure to list all the policies and procedures that they did not adhere to regarding the referral, investigation and removal of your child(ren).

CPS abuses their power this is no secret. Supposedly, they get a rush from “saving” children so most often, to feed their egos and get their “saving” fix for the day, they will out and out falsify things you say and things your children say so NEVER speak to them without an attorney present. I know this is hard to do so at least say as little as you can! Always be polite because they will use your attitude against you. Say everything with a smile and thank them for their concern. But still, do your homework, READ YOUR COUNTY’S CHILD WELFARE POLICIES AND USE IT AGAINST THEM AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY.  IT WILL GO A LONG WAY TO MAKING YOUR CASE FOR THE APPEALS COURT.