What are different reasons that Social Services can take a kid away?

Question

I'm writing a screenplay for my thesis, and one of my characters is hiding the fact that her 7-year-old daughter was taken away by social services. Originally, I was saying it was because the mother took sleeping pills, trying to commit suicide, and the girl called 911 and Social Services found out. I was reading through the State of Virginia's policies with Child Protective Services (that's where the screenplay takes place), and but I don't think my reasoning would get a kid taken away.

So I'm thinking of maybe, while this mother is distraught over her situation, hits the kid, then takes the pills after regretting it? Would that work, do you think? I don't want to make the mother a drug user, that seems to be overdone in movies and things, and I don't want her to be a terrible mom that abuses her child or anything like that either. Like, this was a one-time thing, she makes a mistake, and it costs her by having her kid taken away. Do you think that's plausible?

Answer 1

Yes, it's very plausable. There are no "cut and dried rules" and often it all depends on the social worker involved and his/her biases: pro-adoption or pro-preservation.

This is a mother who lost her second-born to adoption through the foster-care system. She had been rendered homeless and instead of helping her find a place to live with her children, she was convinced to put both children in foster care -- the rest of her story is here: http://www.originscanada.org/adoption_in_canada/erika.html

Also, this is written by a mother. Nev Moore, whose child was taken away because her husband had assaulted her (a 1-time occurrence): http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/5_May/mayds4.htm.

"It had all started the previous spring after my husband spent a night of drinking with a buddy and assaulted me outside of our home. A passerby called 911 on their car phone. Our children weren't present or involved, one being away on a trip; and the youngest, our seven-year-old daughter, was asleep in her bedroom at the upstairs back of our large, old captain's house. It is the practice of the police now to call DSS whenever they are called to a house where underage children reside."

And this is a Grand Jury letter regarding social worker abuses in California: http://www.originsusa.org/Articles/article3_caligrandjury.htm .
What is implied is that more children are apprehended from families in all these cases than just instances of children who have been seriously abused.

I know mothers who have had their newborns apprehended solely on the basis that the mother had been a foster-child herself and that this is considered to be a "risk." Some social workers consider this to be a "higher risk" than others do. The decision is very subjective.

So, yes, it is very possible that this type of scenario could have occcured to the character in your play. Especially if she was a single mother at the time, or was under the age of 25.

Answer 2

Try this instead of the sleeping pills. But an unsafe home like an ex boyfriend or something like that because with most drug problems the parent if they can clean up can get the child back. Or you could go with an OD attempt for Suicide where the CPS has taken temp custody until she completes a program or something like that therefor the mother is not a bad person. Just a person that made a few bad choices.

Answer 3

have the mom drink alcohol & take pills - distraught over situation - (maybe even taking the alcohol by mistake - she though it coke or other soft drink.
Then she becomes hazy and leaves the house intending to pick child up from school, but never arrives. IF the child is still at school 3 hours later - school staff call the services. And then police look for mother.
mother has to go to court to get child back after proving she is not an alcoholic or drug abuser.


Thats my suggestion

Answer 4

You can say that the children ran out of the house and was found wandering near an active highway at 2 am. Due to mom's drug induced state, it would be considered "risk of Harm" because mom cannot properly supervise her children during her drug induced state and placed her children in danger (that's where the highway thing comes in). Each state is different but if you look at the news from last week, something similar happened to a child in Iowa. A 2 year old was found playing in the highway and taken into state custody..

Answer 5

I'm a Court Appointed Special Advocate in IN. I actually worked on a case where the mother tried to commit suicide and children's services took the children. The children were placed in a foster home and eventually adopted by another family. The mother was charged with child neglect and endangerment. She never touched the children physically and was not a drug user. She had a mental problem and wanted to die. The mother didn't die but still has the mental problem by which can be treated with therapy and medication. She was never mentally able though to get the children back was why they were put up for adoption and not returned to her.

Answer 6

You probably have read more about it than I have but how about the mother left her daughter alone while she was working. Maybe the child mentions it to the school or maybe there's a emergency after school at the child's home when the mother isn't there.

It could also be a mistake. The child fell down a flight of stairs but the emergency room thinks the child was abused.

Good luck.

Answer 7

it is not likely that a child would get removed from a household after 1 incident...if the mother was sentenced to jail/rehab and there were no other relatives to place the child with then it could occur...in many cases and many states it is not the incident but the number of incidents on a parent's record that often decides if a child is removed....in most cases it is VERY hard to get a child removed from a biological parent's care without a very detailed record of OFFICIAL complaints made to the state...

Answer 8

Are you looking for reality or fantasy? If you want to learn what Child Protective Services is really all about, please visit the LIFE (Liberty Independence & Family Equality) website for an eye opening education on this criminal agency that commits human rights atrocities all over America every single day. The link is given below in Source.

Answer 9

if the house is extremely dirty or there is no food in the cabinets the state may take the child out of the house