RE: Keeping My Child out of Foster Care, Because I Grew up in This System That Really Doesn't Care!!
I agree! Organizations that target children and familes to abuse them are the worst of all. Way worse than robbing you of simply money, for example.
Usually they go after people that they believe will have little support or help through the situation, and are vulnerable in some way. All off the 3 families that I'm closely familiar with were vulnerable in some way, either poverty, formerly a child in the system themselves, or really young with no experience or family to help.
In the young mom's case, you could see the look of utter shock on the Social Worker's face when the judge didn't give them the ruling that they expected. But it was a TON of work and coordination by myself, the young father's family, the lawyer, and some other people who stepped up to help. It still took way to long to finally get the case heard before a judge and the baby was separated from the mother for far too long at such a tender age.
I'm so happy to hear there was a good end to this story! It's so often heartbreakingly not the case that mom and dad get their baby (or babies) back...
I know a lot of people are afraid of "shadow organizations", but personally (growing up as a homeschooled kid before it was entirely legal in our state), I have always been the most afraid of CPS. To this day, there are many precautions I take and a deep awareness I have simply because I do not ever, EVER want to flag CPS in any way, shape or form and it can be done so innocently by a parent.
Yes, the outcome was okay. Not perfect though, because although they let her keep the baby they kept checking up on her and made her do certain things. They should have thrown the whole case away and the judge should have had that Social Worker fired for breaking so many rules.
But yes, a much better outcome than they would have had otherwise.
Do law-breaking social workers ever get fired?? It seems to me that even a win is always a grudging one and the social workers get to keep right on going without even a reproof. Sort of like, "Oh well, we can't always be 100% right. Bummer."
Thankfully I do know of two cases where the investigation was opened and promptly closed without much fuss, just like you'd expect if common sense was involved. But those outcomes are definitely not to be counted on.