Hey John,
My two kids were taken away by Child “Protective” Services. I am allowed to see one of my kids, but not the other. I don’t know why I can’t see my son, and they aren’t explaining anything to me. What can I do?
Almost Childless
Dear Almost,
CPS has an enormously difficult job in protecting children. In my younger years I worked in a residential treatment center for abused, neglected children. In reviewing some of their histories, I was stunned at the level of cruelty some screwed-up sub-humans could perpetrate upon their children. While I was trying to repair the damage from these monsters, it occurred to me that the CPS caseworkers were the ones who were present when the kids were still bleeding. I couldn’t imagine a more difficult (or important) occupation. However, there are many cases that are left to the discretion of an individual caseworker without proper direction from their supervisor. Some caseworkers are so used to smackin’ heads with dysfunction adults, they begin to think that all their clients are equally dysfunctional, and treat them with some lack of respect. This is where hard working, talented supervision is imperative. If the caseworker is jaded and the supervisor unskilled or lazy, the parent can be hung out to dry. If you think you (or your child) are not receiving proper treatment, you can contact the caseworker AND the supervisor in a brief letter outlining the problem and your request. Send the letter “registered, return receipt requested”, and keep a copy for yourself. In this manner, you will have proof of your attempt to resolve the problem. Further, if you feel the agency is in the wrong, seeking out a local attorney who specializes in CPS cases is the next step. If you don’t know who it is, call a few attorney’s offices and ask them for names of those specialized lawyers. Sometimes a show of proper force motivates a caseworker to take this case more seriously (and respectfully). In the event CPS was right all along, you should work hard at gaining new skills to make you a remarkable parent. Actually, you ought to do that anyway.
My two kids were taken away by Child “Protective” Services. I am allowed to see one of my kids, but not the other. I don’t know why I can’t see my son, and they aren’t explaining anything to me. What can I do?
Almost Childless
Dear Almost,
CPS has an enormously difficult job in protecting children. In my younger years I worked in a residential treatment center for abused, neglected children. In reviewing some of their histories, I was stunned at the level of cruelty some screwed-up sub-humans could perpetrate upon their children. While I was trying to repair the damage from these monsters, it occurred to me that the CPS caseworkers were the ones who were present when the kids were still bleeding. I couldn’t imagine a more difficult (or important) occupation. However, there are many cases that are left to the discretion of an individual caseworker without proper direction from their supervisor. Some caseworkers are so used to smackin’ heads with dysfunction adults, they begin to think that all their clients are equally dysfunctional, and treat them with some lack of respect. This is where hard working, talented supervision is imperative. If the caseworker is jaded and the supervisor unskilled or lazy, the parent can be hung out to dry. If you think you (or your child) are not receiving proper treatment, you can contact the caseworker AND the supervisor in a brief letter outlining the problem and your request. Send the letter “registered, return receipt requested”, and keep a copy for yourself. In this manner, you will have proof of your attempt to resolve the problem. Further, if you feel the agency is in the wrong, seeking out a local attorney who specializes in CPS cases is the next step. If you don’t know who it is, call a few attorney’s offices and ask them for names of those specialized lawyers. Sometimes a show of proper force motivates a caseworker to take this case more seriously (and respectfully). In the event CPS was right all along, you should work hard at gaining new skills to make you a remarkable parent. Actually, you ought to do that anyway.
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