Getting a second opinion? MA will take you child away from you

[Strings]

I've seen that too, Chris

My favorite was an independant therapist, who went into a home check with a case worker and a video camera. He would focus in on any "issue" the case worker pointed out: quite often, what the camera showed didn't match what the worker was describing

As they were leaving, he stopped the woman, and pointed out that everything she had accused the family of doing wrong, had been something that was present in HER household while she was growing up. ANd he had been her case worker at the time, so he would know...

[Scout26]

Who he? Which she? 


Who's on first ??  No.  Hu !!


What???

[MechAg94]

It seems to me that part of the issue is the Judges that are supposed to be riding herd on CPS.

[Tallpine]

Funny, as I read through this again, I find myself chuckling.   You all see CPS as a powerful force to be reckoned with, overreaching and ruthless.  After what I observed yesterday, CPS was a bumbling fool of a lawyer representing an incompetent flower child who didn't want to say anything bad about the mother (who while under the influence of pot, meth, coke, benzodiazapine, and bath salts, tried to cut the bugs out of her children's arms).  Can't go into more detail, but the lawyer barely proved the woman even had children, much less the rest. And the social worker really was obviously trying to avoid hurting the woman's feelings.

Yeah, but it's the innocent parents that CPS really goes after ....   

[Strings]

Yeah... sometimes seems the only way for a mother to loose custody of their child is to be a good parent...

[KD5NRH]

Yeah, but it's the innocent parents that CPS really goes after ....

Even the good caseworkers still follow a pattern with the same end result: if it's something minor that should be at most a warning and followup, they'll build a huge, elaborate and airtight case to go after a parent that has no money to fight them.  If it's major, they assume it will be so horribly obvious what has happened and what must be done that they don't really have to try to prove anything.  It's like watching a brand new lawyer, except that CPS never seems to grow out of it.

When I worked for a mental health office, we would get "parents" referred by the court for their fifth or sixth "second chance" to get off meth so they wouldn't have to lose their kids.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

When I worked for a mental health office, we would get "parents" referred by the court for their fifth or sixth "second chance" to get off meth so they wouldn't have to lose their kids.

funny you should mention that
i was just talking to someone about a female who lost her kid when he ate some rock cocaine and was in a coma for a couple days.  the social worker was gonna give her her kid back 90 days later after a bunch of well intentioned 12 step enablers paid off her bills got her a new place to live furnished it and propped her up to look like a decent mom.  thankfully judge was smarter told congrats on 90 days clean see him in a year. the good news is she went back to prison and son got adopted.  bad news is she got knocked up by prison guard and got settlement from state plus child support from former guard. and spawned once more after that.the prison baby was a deliberate ploy that worked.
oh and if you wonder how she conned the social worker? got her to sign off on return of son?  they both fly the rainbow flag

[T.O.M.]

When I worked for a mental health office, we would get "parents" referred by the court for their fifth or sixth "second chance" to get off meth so they wouldn't have to lose their kids.

Can't blame that one on the courts or the social workers.  That's a law problem.  The way the law is written in most places, you cannot use what happened with a previous child's situation against the parents if they have another child later.  Each child's circumstances are to be judged individually.  The past only becomes relevant and admissible if the parents have failed again.  So, you see parents like your situation, being sent to treatment for the fourth, fifth, sixth time because the law says they have to be given a chance.  Again.  And again.  And again.

[T.O.M.]

Anyone know if/where you can find the judge's decision on the permanent custody?  I've seen a few articles referring to the decision, but only paraphrasing what someone read.  I'd like to read it myself, if it is available...

[dogmush]

Yeah, but it's the innocent parents that CPS really goes after ....   

Perhaps I'm jaded, but the innocent "or not that bad " parents are an order of magnitude less likely to show up at a social workers house and kill them for taking the kids then the real life version of Daryl Crowe Jr.

Why risk your life for a kid that's already FUBAR and will hate you when that other one over there has a suspicious bruise and non-scary parents?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Can't blame that one on the courts or the social workers.  That's a law problem.  The way the law is written in most places, you cannot use what happened with a previous child's situation against the parents if they have another child later.  Each child's circumstances are to be judged individually.  The past only becomes relevant and admissible if the parents have failed again.  So, you see parents like your situation, being sent to treatment for the fourth, fifth, sixth time because the law says they have to be given a chance.  Again.  And again.  And again.

this!  ^^^^^

and as a foster parent i couldn't take the kids to church or get em a freaking haircut unless we could locate parents and get permission. i have gone to visit in jails to get permission

[KD5NRH]

Can't blame that one on the courts or the social workers.  That's a law problem.  The way the law is written in most places, you cannot use what happened with a previous child's situation against the parents if they have another child later.

Most of the cases I'm referring to were multiple incidents with the same kid, or intending to use the new kid to show that mommy's fifth time is the charm and this time she won't get high and leave the kid in her boyfriend's garage overnight so she can get the other kids (and the associated welfare money) back.

[Tallpine]

Perhaps I'm jaded, but the innocent "or not that bad " parents are an order of magnitude less likely to show up at a social workers house and kill them for taking the kids then the real life version of Daryl Crowe Jr.

You never can tell about that for sure, though ...   

[T.O.M.]

Perhaps I'm jaded, but the innocent "or not that bad " parents are an order of magnitude less likely to show up at a social workers house and kill them for taking the kids then the real life version of Daryl Crowe Jr.

Why risk your life for a kid that's already FUBAR and will hate you when that other one over there has a suspicious bruise and non-scary parents?

When I was prosecuting these kinds of cases, I had an incident where a parent pulled up next to me in a gas station. He jumped out,  grabbed a pipe from the back of his truck,  and said "you took my kids from me, I'm gonna take your son from you"(my toddler son was in the car.)  One of two times in my life I pointed a revolver at a man with full intention of firing...

[KD5NRH]

You never can tell about that for sure, though ...   

Just toss the bodies in Tokugawa's ditch.