Details: 2 year old granddaughter fell off sofa and hit forehead on floor at her home. Bruising was the result. An anonymous "Good Samaritan" reported the bruise while granddaughter was out shopping on Tuesday with grandmother (assuming vehicle license plate number). A CPS worker shows up at our door on Friday night at about 8:30 pm with 2 police officers and 2 more in police cars parked in front of the house. Granddaughter was at home with mother so police and CPS heads over to her house. While there, CPS worker calls EMTs to check granddaughter. EMTs say the bruise is consistant with a child falling from sofa and there appears to be no reason for alarm. CPS insists on trip to ER for a doctor check. Nurse in ER says there is no reason for alarm. Doctor says no reason for concern. Daughter gets a $1500 medical bill that insurance will not pay because of time between accident and medical check. CPS continues to pursue and has gone to daughter's home for "home inspection". More, but ....
2007-01-09 15:36:20 · 4 answers · asked by RDW928 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
OK first don't worry. I am a Deputy Sheriff in Texas. CPS has to follow several steps before closing the case. The first step is to determine if there is abuse. It was concluded that there was no abuse by the Doctor visit. Since the CPS agent is not a Doctor the child had to be checked by one. As for this matter I cannot understand why the child was not taken to its normal physician. If I was you I was notify the hospital to send the bill to the CPS agency and have them fight it out since the ER visit was by force. If CPS refuses to pay get a lawyer. Don't worry it will not go to trial. The CPS agent will be reprimanded and the state will pay the bill.
Next they must determine if the child is being neglected. This is done by several in house visits and counseling visits. Go with the flow to get this phase of the investigation over with. If you fight or give them grief they will return in kind. IE drug test, Psychological test, IQ Test, Random in house visits, anger counseling and parental education classes.
This process will take up to six and in some cases up to eight months. My best advice don't fight them let them do their job. Smile be as friendly as possible even thought you want to rip out their throats.
Also just a note most CPS agents that I have dealt with have no children. So be a little understanding that their parental advice is coming from a book. Before you know it this will be all over with.
2007-01-09 16:16:58 · answer #1 · answered by JAMES H 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
One thing you have to realize about CPS workers. Once a call is made, it has to be investigated. They, the worker, has many different things that they have to do. It may be a simple case of falling off the couch, but they have to chack out everything.
Once they make the determination it was an accident, you will be left alone. But, they have t's to cross and i's to dot, as most jobs do.
The only surpise is the bill. Seems that they would have paid for this visit to the ER.
As far as rights, the same rights you always have. But, if this were to go to court, it would be a civil matter, not criminal. Most states will not provide and attorney because of indigency unless the state is attempting to terminate parental rights.
2007-01-09 15:48:21 · answer #2 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
CPS tends to go a bit overboard because they need to come down hard on any suspicion of abuse. It's their job. It's only a problem if you and your daughter have other problems that can be construed as the sheriff guy said: 1) abuse, 2) neglect.
The bill should be paid by CPS so tell the hospital to bill CPS, as it was ordered by CPS. Hospital would have records and all that.
It's when there are strange circumstances that CPS's tenacity becomes a real problem. I think it was last month or two months ago when Reader's Digest profiled a family whose daughter has "weak bones", a congenital defect, though the child was never tested... until much later. The family was accused of habitual child abuse due to numerous broken bones on the child revealed by X-ray... all due to a bad cold and an ER visit. CPS hounded them day and night. Father's statements was misconstrued as evidence of abuse. "I rubbed baby's tommy" was written down as "father admitted to shoving baby" CPS agents flat out told them they should "come clean" since all the evidence was against them. Father was fired from job and almost deported since they are forced to register as child abusers. The daughter was eventually tested for the congenital defect and proved positive, and a few months after that, all charges are dropped, thanks for a very helpful lawyer. The presiding US district judge vacated the previous conviction (nullified it, purged it from records), and personally apologized to the family for such travesty of justice.
Hope I haven't scared you. :) Not saying something like that will happen. Just do what's right, and justice WILL follow.
2007-01-09 17:10:33 · answer #3 · answered by Kasey C 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
;Once CPS investigates u (and they r required to) they will ALWAYS think u are guilty..even if it's found ur not.. It will NEVER be off the record.. (it's supposed to b).. I got investigated once and they brought up every time I had been investigated (even though I was not found guilty).. If ur daughter is on any sort of public assistance..that auto makes her a bad parent.. She will NEVER have them totally rid of her..Everytime there is a little scratch, they will be there..As far as social workers are concerned..we have no rights.. PERIOD. I have a big problem with CPS workers who think they are God.. and some of them think they know better than MD's do.. I had one investigate me because my son was on ritalin and the school (and caseworker) didn't think kids should be on ritalin.. She flat out told me that she knew more than the doctors did.
2007-01-09 16:00:31 · answer #4 · answered by chilover 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋