We hear it more and more often CPS has stepped in and taken a child away from its parents for a dumb reason or with little evidence of wrong doing. There is the story of CPS taking sick children away from their parents when doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with them in Virginia. They finally received a diagnosis and before the children could be taken to the hospital to be treated CPS stepped in and removed them from the parents. During their removal one of the children broke and ankle and it was left untreated for 6 weeks until the parents got the children back. The children are now in therapy for trauma suffered by being removed from a loving family.
Today the story in our local area goes like this. Mom leaves sleeping child with father. Father makes sure all the locks are locked before laying down to take a nap. Roommate leaves the house leaving locks undone without letting father of child know. Child wakes up and gets out of the house. Father wakes up to find child missing. Police had picked him up and now Father is charged with child neglect and can't see the child. How many parents have had their 2 year olds get out of the house before you realized the child could open the door? I know that I have, when it happened I immediately got in the car, drove to Wal Mart and bought childproof door handles. This is not neglect, its a simple mistake that is easily remedied once a parent is aware that your child can now open doors. This parent was not allowed to show that he was willing to fix the problem before CPS stepped in and took the child away. This Father did his due diligence and locked the doors before taking a nap. It was not his doing that the doors were left unlocked nor was it the Mother's. It was unfortunate circumstances that led to the situation.
CPS is an organization without checks and balances. They don't have to have proof that the child is in imminent danger. With CPS it only takes someone's opinion that a child is in danger. If you are taken to court by CPS you are not allowed to present evidence disputing CPS's claims or take the stand in your defense. CPS doesn't have to give assistance that is actually beneficial to the family they can actually take services that are actually helping away and replace them with services that are not. CPS workers do not have to have a psychology degree, a medical degree of even a degree in social work but yet they are allowed to make decisions regarding situations where that knowledge is absolutely necessary to make an informed opinion. If they consult someone with those qualifications they don't have to take their knowledgeable opinion seriously.
For years there has been screams for reform in the CPS system to no avail. There have been cosmetic changes but no real change that allows parents the rights to defend themselves or to give some kind of check or balance to an agency that can take children from parents at will. In the eyes of CPS if a parent is accused they are guilty. In a criminal court you are innocent until proven guilty, in a civil court the defendant has the burden of proving themselves innocent, but with CPS proceedings you are guilty and not allowed to prove yourself innocent. Some people would say that this is necessary to protect children. The truth is without a major change in the system innocent children are being harmed by the people who were meant to protect them. The children who should be removed from homes are being kept in their abusive families and children who need to be kept with their families are being removed and put in abusive foster care. Parents are afraid to parent worried that they might be accused of being abusive. Parents are not being allowed to make medical decisions they feel are best for their children because CPS steps in if a medical professional doesn't agree with the decision.
The United Nations are trying to get the US to allow a treaty where the UN gets to decide what is best for disabled children and not the parents. Parents rights are being trampled on at every turn. When will it end. Will we stay quiet until our children are taken from us at birth and raised in government facilities as a matter of policy? The school days are getting longer taking our children from us longer. In order to go to school you have to have certain shots and a school physical before they will let your child attend. Shouldn't medical decisions be between medical professionals and the parent and not mandated by the government? Parents make the ultimate sacrifice to give up their lives to raise the next generation, shouldn't they be applauded for that?
Yes there are bad parents out there but they are the minority. There does need to be a system where a child can be removed from a dangerous situation. The problem lies with the governments definition of injury, neglect and dangerous situation. Until those definitions allow for parents to be imperfect and make honest mistakes without fear of losing our children, then they are an agency out of control.
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