Texas: “The System Is Maxed”

“The system is maxed,” Patrick Crimmins said. “The system as designed, depending on your point of view, either cannot or will not absorb more children.”

Because foster care providers refuse to house hundreds of foster children, the children are forced to sleep in hotels or even in CPS offices.

Rather than admitting that far too many of the children in the state’s custody have been unjustly and unfairly taken from viable and loving parents, Crimmins, who is spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, blames the current crisis on a law that allows foster parents to refuse children, and on the children themselves, some of whom are labeled “severely disturbed”.

Are the children “severely disturbed” because they’ve been unfairly ripped from loving parents? Are they “severely disturbed” because of childhood mental illnesses that the parents were trying to control when they lost custody? What’s the story behind having so many homeless “severely disturbed” children in the state’s care?

I’d be disturbed too if I was taken from my parents by state-paid ‘do-gooders’ and forced into homelessness with strangers. And do they really expect children to take this kind of abusive treatment, and remain calm? What does this say about our society that we allow such cruelty to exist against the most helpless citizens, the children?

Meanwhile Texas legislators may pass laws forcing foster care providers to take children they don’t want.

“Allowing providers to pick and choose among foster children and the services they deliver undermines the entire foster care system,” Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said, adding, ”It also puts caseworkers in a bind when contractors can dictate which children they will serve.”

Source: Kids sleep in CPS offices after foster-care rejection

Filed under: CPS, Texas, Foster Homes — Linda @ 1:24 am

37 Comments »

I have been caing for chldren in my home for about two years. This article makes foster homes sound like a homeless shelter. I love every child who comes through my home and I try to do everything possible to help the children maintain a relationship with their families while in care. People are quick to be critical of CPS, but they are doing the best they can. Furthermore, foster parents are not the enemy. We take children into our own homes and accept them as our own. I am wondering why you have not volunteered to take some of these children into your home? My dad always said “Are you going to be part of the solution or part of the problem?”

Comment by Brooke — June 4, 2007 @ 11:53 am

Thanks for your comment, Brooke. Not everyone is in a position to be a foster parent, and personally, I wouldn’t do it because I don’t want to help CPS in any way, and because foster parents are at risk of having false accusations leveled against them just like natural parents are. One site I read by an ex-foster parent said the question isn’t whether they’ll be falsely accused, but WHEN.

And I wasn’t meaning to say that foster children are all homeless. I only meant that the ones that are refused placements and end up sleeping in hotels and CPS offices are homeless.

And THANK YOU for trying to help your foster children maintain relationships with their families. That’s a wonderful help. I wish every foster parent was as kind and considerate to the children and families involved.

Comment by Linda — June 4, 2007 @ 5:21 pm

They might send the children to other states if there aren’t room in Texas. That’s what they did to Louisana Children when the Hurricane Katarina came. The Children were all over the States where the parents could not find them. I fear in the future, they might ship them to other states where it would be difficult for the parents to get their kids back because of the state line laws.

Comment by Frustrated — June 5, 2007 @ 7:35 pm

I just got my granddaughter back on 5/31. She was abused and neglected in Foster Care. She was in perfect health when they took her and now she isn’t. I cannot elaborate on her health at this time. However, CPS tried to hide her from us and we had to get the Media involved in order for us to see her. Yes, she was in bad shape. Had she been left there any longer she would have died.

I would like to ad that the 2nd Foster Mom did treat her good. She did take her to the dr and get her treatment.

I personally believe that CPS needs to be shut down or at the very least reorganized. I do plan on suing CPS and 3 of the CPS case workers and at least one Supervisor. I don’t know when or if our story is going to air on the news, however I am going to do everything thing in power to see that this does not happen to other children.

Comment by Diando — June 6, 2007 @ 11:27 am

Diando, please keep us informed about any news in your case. I hope your grandchild recovers and that your lawsuit is successful.

Comment by Linda — June 7, 2007 @ 7:56 am

I plan on attaching a video that was made the day we finally got to see her. I will be attached to the Stolen Baby video in U tube (At least that’s my idea so far). It is long and heart breaking. I will let everyone know how this turns out. Next court date September. Thank you all for being here for us. We could not or would not have know what to do if not for this website and everyones input and ideas. The 2 months that she was gone were the longest 2 months in my life. And I have had some really long months in my life!

Comment by Diando — June 7, 2007 @ 11:00 am

My husband and I cared for neglected and abused children for over 12 years. Neighbor children, relatives children, our childrens friends, many of whom had alcoholic, drug-addicted, abusive or neglectful parents, there were always these children in every neighborhood we moved into. We never had alot, but we always had enough to make a big pot of soup or goulash on the stove to feed them, I’d buy clothes at garage sales, and thrift stores and give them away. Our livingroom floors were full of sleeping kids, secure in a home where there was no party or fighting going on. We turned in numerous parents, but only once did we ever hear of a family answering to their crimes against their children. We decided to get our foster license and are still taking in children. I have never felt so offended or slapped in the face for trying to do whats right than I have after reading your comments. I’m sure there are bad foster parents out there but there are also bad parents. I have stories that bring tears to my eyes just thinking back on them. I am currently 2 months away from returning a young girl and her baby girl to a meth addicted mother and a soon to be paroled father. She has been chewing her nails till they bleed lately just thinking about leaving. We dont ‘pick and choose’, if for example there is a boy who’s prone to sexually molesting other children, we have a little girl that might be in danger, we wouldnt think that would be safe. If I didnt have a little girl, I would take him. Simple as that. We step in to love and care for children when the parents cant, and at the same time, work with the parents in reunification, which isnt an easy feat considering the parents usually despise us from the start. From my point of view, CPS has let many children suffer at the hands of their parents, even after getting concerned calls, nothing is done.

Comment by Anna — June 13, 2007 @ 6:36 pm

Anna, if you were upset about this one post which is very mild, you probably shouldn’t read the rest of my site. I’ve blogged about hundreds of cases of children being abused in foster homes.

My point isn’t to say that all foster homes are bad; what I’m trying to show is that abuse happens in foster homes where it is often ignored by social workers.

I’ve heard from hundreds of parents who have seen injuries on their children during visits, and not been able to get social workers to move the kids to another foster home. Some, like little Dominic James, end up dead.

The problem is that CPS gets federal funds for taking kids away from natural families, but no money at all for taking them from foster parents who are abusing them.

I will never forget Rose Garland’s comment on the Frontline program about Logan Marr - Rose, an ex-foster child, said, “OK. Now, I know that there are good foster families out there, OK? But I also know that every foster kid that I have ever talked to, including myself, have been abused in foster homes. And I’m talking physically, emotionally and sexually. That may not be the case for every child, but it was the case for me.”

Comment by Linda — June 14, 2007 @ 5:25 am

Anna,
I truly understand where you are coming from. We are trying to provide a loving and safe environment for children in need and we get slammed for it. I also was very unsettled by this article. As a foster mother, I know my limits. I am not at the age nor point in my life to care for a pregnant, teenage girl. If I were approached with this placement, I would have to deny it. Also, I have three other small foster children in my home. I have to consider their needs first and formost because they are my responsibilty while they are in my home. It does not take a truly intelligent person to know and realize that one unhappy child that has needs beyond your capabilities can make it misserable for that child and the whole houshold. It is best to seek a home that would be appropriate to care for the needs of the child that you are placing. I too, think that it is a tragedy for children or youth of any age to have to spend the night at a CPS office. Instead of belittleing the foster parents that are doing an amazing thing by taking care of America’s children, why not recruit others to be foster parents?

Linda, I respect your oppinion and I understand that you are truly trying to help people that have been wronged by the system. I just wished that you could live a week in the shoes of a truly dedicated foster parent. You would be appalled at some of the truly awful things that have happened to children while they were in the care of their bio families. I am not talking about case worker reports. I am talking about outcries made by the children themselves. This website is the first time I have ever encountered such negative sentiments towards foster families. I have always been approached with love and appreciation by friends, strangers, and most all parents of the children I care for.

Comment by Brooke — June 14, 2007 @ 8:56 pm

It’s the same reason the priests got away with raping children for years and years.They’re doing gods work,they’re beyond reproach,they’re pillars of the community,just look at how selfless and full of love they are.

Now its the same attitude towards the child protection hustle.Everytime someone so much as dare to launch a question you get guilt trips,you get shaming language,you get the look at me I’m a living saint speech and sadly its usually enough to keep the media,lawmakers and even the general public from digging deeper.

Group homes,foster homes,kiddie lock ups most people would be hard pressed to belive some of the things I’ve seen social workers and foster parents do to children but I’ve got the stories to tell and the scars to back them up.

All I can say is get use to the “negative sentiments” because slowly but surely more and more people are becoming more and more vocal.

Keep up the good fight Linda..!

Comment by Daniel — June 14, 2007 @ 10:08 pm

Thanks for backing me up that one Daniel. I appreciate your unique way of saying it.

It is good to hear it from someone who’s been there and seen what it’s really like.

Comment by Linda — June 15, 2007 @ 6:06 am

Thats the problem guys. You are not just launching questions. You are slandering good people and generalizing all foster parents into one group. If we assume that every priest was a molestor, then that would be the end of the Catholic church as we know it. Likewise, if we assume that all foster parents are the enemy, then what would you say that we should do with the thousands of children that are being abused daily at the hands of their families. Abuse is a problem in our nation and children will continue to be picked up and rescued daily from now on. It is just the way things are. If you really want to help the children, then why not use your time trying to get tougher penalties and sentences for all abusers. That of course would include foster parents. By the way, if we assume that children will continue to be removed, and we also label all foster parents as abusers, then what would you both suggest we due with the abused children??? Would you be in favor of state run children’s facilites that house thousands of children? That’s not giving the children a chance at becoming a productive part of a family. I hear all of your complaining and moaning about how corrupt the system is, but I have yet to hear any good solutuions to the current crisis which you have convinced yourselves that we are in. Linda- you said stop picking up children, but then you agree that their are some children that are abused. I get the feeling that your stance is that we should keep all children with their families and that it is better for their own families to abuse them than to be abused at the hands of strangers.. I am sorry Linda, but I think abuse by anyone is a crime. Why not try to be more constructive instead of coming at the situation full throttle without suggesting any productive and feasible ideas?

Comment by Brooke — June 15, 2007 @ 11:27 am

Brooke,

I agree with you. Many would suggest that a family member wouldbe suitable but it has been my experience that the family member that the child is placed with alows the perpetrator to see the child and in alot of cases will leave the child with them unsupervised. That defeats the purpose of the removal.Abuse in someone elses house is still abuse.

Linda,

Who would you suggest shoulod buy these things fo these families. The state? The budget for DFPS is already taxed to its limits. They do not have enough money to provide good quality care for the kids because of the rash of removals due mostly to meth. So if want to solve the problem then stop whining about what CPS did and start focusing your efforts on getting more funds to support these kids.

Comment by John — June 15, 2007 @ 11:41 am

Brooke, if you think I am saying all foster parents are bad, then you’re not reading what I actually wrote. Go back and re-read.

For example, I recently wrote, “My point isn’t to say that all foster homes are bad; what I’m trying to show is that abuse happens in foster homes where it is often ignored by social workers.”

Did you read that??

If non-abused children were left with their natural families and abused children were placed with extended families who want them, then a huge percentage of foster homes would no longer be needed. At that point the foster homes that are good would be able to house the few children who have no families whatsoever that can care for them.

Comment by Linda — June 15, 2007 @ 1:35 pm

John, in what way are you receiving money from this system? Are you a caseworker? A fosterer? What?

You wrote to me, “stop whining about what CPS did”.

First of all, nobody talks to me that way. If you continue to write to me in an abusive manner I will ban your IP # from this site.

Second, why would you want me to ignore familiy destruction and devastation? If I turn my back on all these suffering, heartbroken people … what good would that do?

Comment by Linda — June 15, 2007 @ 1:39 pm

Linda,

I am truly sorry if you found my comments abusive. I am not here to steal your glory or what ever outcome you hope to achieve with this website I am merely trying to engage you in a intellegent and healthy debate. My point was not stated to offend you but rather to express the idea that wether you are right or wrong, or I for that matter, children are going to continue to be subjected to abuse. Wether it is drug, physical, sexually, or neglect. So instead of fighting a system that largely is trying to protect these kids, and wether or not you want to believe it, most caseworkers care, why not try to find ways to improve it because we need a system to protect the most innocent of all people. Oh by the way it is irrelevent as to what my intrest are. know this i was adopted and I believe it was the best thing to ever happen. If you do not wish to be challenged on this website,then please, tell me you do not want to have a debate with me and I will respectfully leave. After all it is your website

Comment by John — June 15, 2007 @ 8:01 pm

John, I like to have a bit of debate - that is not a problem for me. Everyone has a right to their opinion and even among family rights activists there’s different ways of viewing things.

You may think the system tries to protect children, but when so many families are lied about in court documents; when children are removed from loving families for reasons having nothing to do with neglect or abuse; when the federal funding streams start the moment a child is taken from its family and placed in a foster home; the system is warped beyond repair. There are too many things wrong with it. There are more things wrong than I could write about in one evening so I won’t even try.

Take a look at the message board here. Listen to the families that are fighting for the right to have their children home again.

And read the archives of this blog - the hundreds of reports of people getting into foster care so they’ll have access to children, to victimize them. It is sick, and someone has to say “no more”.

Yes, children are sometimes abused by their parents. But taking large numbers of children from natural homes and giving them to artificial homes is not going to solve abuse problems. In fact children are far more likely to be abused in foster care than in natural family homes. The statistics on that have been figured in various years and it always comes out the same.

A few years back I ran the numbers on the percentage of children being killed in natural homes versus the number being killed in foster homes… and even with some of the states withholding statistics it turned out that kids were 3.6 times more likely to be killed in foster homes.

I am for preserving the integrity of natural families, helping them with their problems especially if they impact the children, and supporting families as the basic building blocks of our society, on which a strong civilization can be built.

Comment by Linda — June 15, 2007 @ 8:50 pm

LInda,

I do not know where you are from or what your situation is and I really do not think it is any of my concern. What I do know, and I speak from experience, is that I Have had the honor of being amoung a rather large network of caseworkers and foster parents and i will tell you that everyone of them have a genuine concern for the children in thier care. I know that they all work very hard to insure the safety and security of these kids. I also know that above and beyond all the agency’s priority is reunification of the family. Though I am not so naive to think that every caseworker and every foster home is serving the best intrest of these children I know that the one I comunicate with on almost a daily basis are trying their best to do what is right and should be lauded for it instead of ridiculed for doing thier jobs. I also know, I am talking from experience mind you not from reading statistics, that most of the biological parents that have their kids removed do not think they did anything wrong. They think that they should be able to do whatever they want to their kids or while their kids are around just because they are their kids and that is plainly wrong. So without sounding rude, I am not at all simpathetic to the people who complain about removal because I don’t know if they are truthful, I know that these parents will lie or tell only part of the story to gain simpathy from anyone that will listen. So how can I know that the people that are telling their stories on this website are truthful. Linda I can appreciate your concerns with tihs issue, but what I cannot do is believe all that is written here from anyone. How many stories do you hear in the public,not your circle of constituants, of abusive foster homes. How many stories do you hear of abused children or mising children and even worse death of children on tv and in public. Much, much, sadly. it is a serious problem,but it is not rooted in child welfare agencies, but rather in the very homes you defend. I think that if you research it you will find a startling number cases where a child was harmed involved a family member wither immediate or extended. Then I think you would find that neighbors or someone that knew the child would be next. I am sure that foster homes are in their somwhere but not near as much as families and familars.

Comment by John — June 16, 2007 @ 3:53 pm

John, you wrote “…I Have had the honor of being amoung a rather large network of caseworkers and foster parents…”

Well, here’s where my radar goes up… I am sensing that I’m conversing with a person who is receiving MONEY as a part of the system. Tell me now. Do you or do you not receive money in exchange for working as a part of the CPS system? Are you a foster parent? Are you a caseworker?

Why this matters…. is that if you are sold on the system because they are buying you in any way, you’re more likely to be blind to the grief and suffering you cause by being part of the system. And if you’re blind, I can’t help you. You’re not going to listen, you won’t care, and I’m wasting my time talking to you.

FYI - I’m a busy person, and don’t have much time to waste.

Comment by Linda — June 16, 2007 @ 9:15 pm

One more thing, John.

You wrote: “I am not at all simpathetic to the people who complain about removal because I don’t know if they are truthful, I know that these parents will lie or tell only part of the story to gain simpathy from anyone that will listen.”

Hmmm. I think you’re projecting.

Comment by Linda — June 16, 2007 @ 9:22 pm

Linda,
I have heard of many high profile cases where children were murdered at the hands of their loving, innocent natural families. The first one that comes to mind is a man in Illinois that killed his daughter and her best friend. The next is a mother in Tx that drowned her children. And then , was it Missouri where the preachers wife killed her children and husband in a weak moment? I can go on and on. Do you think justice was served among these families? Do children not have the divine right to live and be safe, as we all should? You should be applauding CPS for these cases above. They certainly did what you are fighting for and kept these children with their bio families. The only problem is that society should be grieving because we lost beautiful and precious children that, just maybe, could have been spared if they were removed from these homes. Are you satisfied with these deaths? Where were the loving, extended family members, you always mention, in these cases? You seem like a kind hearted person, so I am going to assume that you want all children to be safe and not die at the hands of anyone. It is my oppinion that the system let these children down because they were not removed. Children are children because they are young, immature, and naive. If their parents are oblivious and not meeting their needs, then it is a travesty to think that you think the state buying them, for example: a fan or safety gate, is going to help. Yeah, maybe in some cases, but most cases are more complicated than that. What I can not get my mind around is all of the people on this sight that had their parental rights terminated for “nothing”. Again, it is ,my experience that it takes more than nothing to have your rights permanently taken away. I have had many, many children in my home over the years, and I can HONESTLY say that I have been able to sucessfully help in the process to re-unite ALL of the children that I have cared for with family members and most with their parents. Also, I even get to see some of the children that I took care of on a weekely or monthly basis because I gained the trust of their parents. They still use me as part of their network of support. Just to make myself very clear, I cared for over twenty children in my home and NONE have come up for adoption. I have experienced many caseworkers that have pushed hard to get these children home, some even before I felt comfortable with the idea. It is my oppinion that, yes, there are probably less than truthful, caseworkers and foster parents, but there are also less than truthful biological parents and families. It seems like we are both very passionate for what we believe in and I am glad that we can continue to have this dialogue.

Comment by Brooke — June 17, 2007 @ 1:17 am

Linda,

I am a foster parent if you must know. Yes, I receive money from the state to care for these kids but it is in no way a payment. It is a reimbursment for the hard earned money I use to care for them. It does not even come close to compinsating what i spend. I couldn’t really care less about the money I am financially secure without it. So no one has “bought” me. I saw a need for a loving home for these children that are being abused and neglected. I suppose in a way I am being bought. The currency is the love that I feel from these kids that I have helped. The joy I get in knowing that The kids that have been in my home have seen what a loving home is and what it means to be safe. I am bought by the precious little smiles that I see on my kids faces that were not there when they came. Not becase they where ripped away from their family but becase they were subjected to such horrors while they where there. Yes there are some foster parents doing this for the money, but they never last long because the money we get does not cover the cost of caring for these kids. I, on the other hand am in it for the love I am hardened to these parents because of what i have seen not because of I have beeen reimbursed for.

Comment by John — June 17, 2007 @ 6:20 am

John,

When CPS first came into our lives it was because my daughter smoked marijuana. No other reason! And yes, at that time I believed in CPS. I have now seen the corupt system that it has become first hand.

The 1st meeting with the 2nd case worker - she outright lied! - she stated that she saw my son-in-law punch my daughter in the face in her office. Now if that were true why didn’t she call the police - they have an officer there on site. That is just one of her many lies.

Then my daughter got a set of court papers from her stating that she found neglect and abuse. My daughter immediately called the 3rd caseworker (since she was no longer our case worker) and he told her to disregard those papers “that is just standard procedure” So it is standard procedure to outright lie!

Then out came another investigator because my son-in-laws mother and sister didn’t think the baby was his (which DNA testing has proved otherwise) and he shouldn’t have to pay to raise another mans child and wanted him to move back home to pay her bills. (I know this is true along with 8 other people that were there the night they said this). His sister and mother called and told a bunch of lies - none of which were true - they had never even been to my daughters house- the investigator took the baby on false allegations and nothing other.

The investigator when cornered in court stated that she did not see any of the things that she filed papers for. (Standard procedure again)?

Then after 2 days of the baby being in CPS care my daughter gets a letter stating that they are going to adopt my granddaughter out. MMMM, 2 days? Procedure?

In less than a month I attended a Permanancy Placement Hearing and was told they were going to adopt the baby out. Now all of this because marijuana? Nope, in the Permanancy Placement Meeting the investigator said that the baby tested positive for marijuana and my daughter tested positive for opiates. Another standard procedure? That is an outright lie!

Then we are told that the baby has a heart murmur and misshaped head and they want to do an MRI and more testing on her heart. When asked to see the medical records they told us we were not entitled to them. Why? Come to find out because there aren’t any.

Then two times in one week after my daughter drives up to CPS for her visitation they tell her that “they forgot the baby” Procedure? How do you forget a baby?

As it turned out - my granddaughter was being abused and neglected and CPS was hiding it from us. I proved it and got custody of my granddaughter. What a shock there is nothing wrong with her heart, or her head. Just a long list of other medical problems, none of which were mentioned.

CPS never even went and checked out the Foster Home. Nor, did they remove her, the Foster Family got scared and dropper her off at an all night CPS facility……. My granddaughter went without medical treatment for over 10 days that we know of! CPS knowing the whole time she was ill and did nothing.

I could go on and on there is alot more but thats all for now.

P.S. We have proof of all lies that have been told. The truth is going to come out and will be heard!

This isn’t about the Foster Homes, this is about CPS’s lies, deceit, lack of caring, and the one way street that they are running.

They set these families up to fail from the start. They have no intention of reuniting them whatsoever! Not in this case anyway!

Comment by Diando — June 22, 2007 @ 12:44 pm

Linda,

I have cut and pasted post that John has written. He clearly states it’s not about the money, but, he thinks that the State should get more. Why? I ask myself. So he can get paid more?

Please read below. These are Johns words.

Please note his spelling, grammar and one other cause he lists.

Linda,

Who would you suggest shoulod buy these things fo these families. The state? The budget for DFPS is already taxed to its limits. They do not have enough money to provide good quality care for the kids because of the rash of removals due mostly to meth. So if want to solve the problem then stop whining about what CPS did and start focusing your efforts on getting more funds to support these kids.

Comment by John — June 15, 2007 @ 11:Linda,

I am a foster parent if you must know. Yes, I receive money from the state to care for these kids but it is in no way a payment. It is a reimbursment for the hard earned money I use to care for them. It does not even come close to compinsating what i spend. I couldn’t really care less about the money I am financially secure without it.
41 am
Comment by John — June 17, 2007 @ 6:20 am

Comment by Diando — June 22, 2007 @ 8:28 pm

Good observation, Diando. First he’s saying they don’t get enough money, then saying he could care less about money!

These types of people, who receive money from the system, always seem to think that the only “reform” needed is to get more money pumped into the system so they can get paid more. As if that would change anything!

I’m sad to say that in the nearly twenty years I’ve been fighting to expose the CPS system to the world, this type of “reform” is almost the only reform there’s been. That, and making things worse for natural families and better for adopters.

But I’m no longer surprised by that. The purpose of the system is to wreck America by attacking the basic foundation of this country - its families. This was a goal of the Communists during the cold war in the fifties. Check out items 40 and 41 on this list of Communist Goals, presented to our Congress in 1963. It was all a plot to destroy our country from the inside.

There’s a group of people behind this, behind Communism, that is orchestrating the entire destruction of our civilization, and CPS is just a small part of it.

Can we overcome this system? Of course I try to help one family at a time by presenting the information you see on this site. And other than that, I trust that a benevolent Higher Power will resolve the issue, because it seems like it is too late for people to do so. Time will tell how this all changes, but I know the change will eventually come.

In the meantime I urge all families to live an upright, ethical lifestyle, above reproach from the evil child protection industry. That usually works to keep them away, though there are many variables and one never knows the struggles we may encounter during our passage through life.

Comment by Linda — June 22, 2007 @ 9:21 pm

I was shocked by this whole debate. I’ve never trusted people who blindly defend any one institution. It’s fair to say that not all foster care homes are bad, but it’s not fair to stay what’s wrong with the ones that are? Is that what John and Brooke are saying, because that’s what it sounds like to me.

People who extol the virtues of something with no interest in understanding that yes, there is a negative side to everything, are the types of people who worry me more and more.

At some point, I will put why I am here on one of the entries, but I want to tell you Linda, thank you SO much. If it weren’t for you, I would never have known to call a lawyer. I had it in my head that CPS was on my side to find the truth.

I learned very quickly that wasn’t true and now my entire family is devestated that a false report was issued. My child is even more upset that someone lied using her as a means to tear our family apart and throw us into this nightmare.

Taking kids away from abusive parents and putting them in the care of good foster homes is great. It’s about time we stop worrying about them and start worrying about the kids taken from loving parents and put into homes with strangers who abuse them.

I’m thinking that should take priority over talking about money, John and Brooke. The fact you don’t agree with that is more telling than you know.

Comment by Molly — June 25, 2007 @ 6:11 am

Molly,

I do not deny that there is a negative side to foster care. I understand that there are people out there that get into foster care just to prey on these innocent children. My point is that this website is placing all foster parents and all caseworkers in the same catagory. That is what is not fair. The comments that I have made on this blog have been made because of this gross generalization. It has become obvious to me that anyone that has a differing opinion from the administration of this site will be bashed by taking just segments of what was said and twisted to look as though they have no feelings for these people. That is not true I am only skeptical because of what I have experienced.

Comment by john — June 25, 2007 @ 1:05 pm

John, find another hobby. This website is for parents and other family members suffering because their children have been taken from them. It is not for foster parents with no sympathy for the people this site was created to serve.

You say we put all foster parents into the same category. How many times do I have to say that many foster parents are and have been welcome on this site. You are not one of them because you are putting all parents with CPS problems into the same category. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

John, you are transparent. I can see you’re projecting. Any further postings from you or “Brooke” will be deleted because you’re no longer welcome here.

You mentioned freedom of speech in one of your earlier deleted postings. Well, guess what. You can say anything you want in your own home. But this is MY site and I have the right (and a responsibility to others who use this site) to ban trolls from posting here.

Comment by Linda — June 26, 2007 @ 1:45 pm

hello, I am a mother of children who were put in the system on false allegations. I would never do anything to harm my children, and yet I was found guilty of being a drug addict without any positive drug tests. I want to sue but I am scared. Now CPS is putting my children up for adoption. How fair is this??? I feel because I have no money I have no help. And that is the truth!!!!!

Comment by star — June 26, 2007 @ 7:42 pm

Unfortunately, the people with no help or no money are the people that they prey on.

I could not even begin to imagine having my kids being taken away and adopted out.

While they had my granddaughter I couldn’t eat or sleep.

Have you watched the Stolen Baby video on U tube? It is what gave us strength.

We will keep you in our prayers.

Comment by Diando — June 27, 2007 @ 10:03 am

Here’s the link to the Stolen Baby video

Comment by Linda — June 27, 2007 @ 1:30 pm

Linda,

I don’t know where to post this. I’ve been on the phone with a producer all day. I can’t say what one yet. I am still pinching myself.

Can’t give any details but, it’s going to happen. I have agreed not to accept to go on any other shows (not that they are calling yet, shoot I didn’t really think this one would).

The case worker called me 30 minutes after I got off of the phone with the producer to tell me that my daughter and son-in-law can come over anytime they want to visit their daughter as long as either me or my husband are here.

I get to see my daughter and she gets to see hers. My daughter has not seen her daughter for over 3 weeks. My son-in-law has not seen her (his daughter) in over 6 weeks.

I am so excited. I get so sickened and sad and heart broken every time I hear about a parent losing their child or children to the system. I just can’t imagine living without mine.

Everyone of ya’ll are in my prayers and I am going to fight to my death for ya’ll.

Thank you sooooo much for this website!

Comment by Diando — June 27, 2007 @ 6:22 pm

Diando, I’m very excited to hear this; congratulations on the film and the visits! Please keep us informed of any developments. We love getting good news.

Comment by Linda — June 27, 2007 @ 8:45 pm

I loved reading the comments to this post! Very interesting 2 sided view of the system. It pointed out things wrong with the system and some good things. First let me say the government funding is well backwards. The cps system should receive money based on not how many children they take out of a home but how many homes they keep together. This way the focus would be on keeping families together not ripping them apart. I believe social workers who have success with a family by keeping them together and working with them on completion of a case should themselves receive a small bonus which would encourage them to work with the families better just like in some jobs the employee will receive a bonus at the end of a year for completing the most projects or selling the most product. As the system is now they are encouraged to rip apart families to receive funding.

Also they need to weed out the bad social workers there are far too many who are closed minded and ignorant and who don’t follow through or flat out lie. I have a friend who for a while worked at a facility. They pretty much warehoused children who were taken away from their families because of abuse or neglect. She told me that you can tell within an hour of the child arriving weather or not that child was abused. You see it in how they act. Like if the child has good manners, is polite, etc. or if the child flinches often, is a behavioral issue, doesn’t know right from wrong. She said she saw many children who clearly weren’t abused in that place and more often than not the kids there weren’t abused which ticked her off because she worked there to help abused kids and there were times she felt like she was abusing kids by keeping them from their parents. She felt awful and quit.

There are good and bad workers in every field of employment be it social work, teachers, doctors, lawyers, any job/career. There are people who clearly should not be social workers and their record should prove that and they should be fired. There are also good and bad foster families. Some people go into fostering because down the line they would like to adopt a child, some go into it to help families be reunited somewhere down the line, some well a lot go into it for the money, they don’t see a child they see a paycheck. I know a woman who did foster care and she had special training to take in sexually abused children. These children were actually sexually abused and their abusers were in jail. She had a job and so did her husband, she didn’t need the money. She kept clear records of where that money was spent - clothing food toys etc, and she spent the whole check every month on that child and their needs. She also took all money left over at the end of the month and put it in savings accounts in that child’s name and when they left her depending on how long she had them for they had a healthy nest egg to start off life with. Many of those children still visit with her call her mom and their kids call her grandma. So see there is an upside that is how it is suppose to be unfortunately not all foster kids get that lucky.

As for the system being packed with kids to the point they can’t take anymore well if they worked harder to keep families together that wouldn’t be an issue now would it? There is a commercial here that keeps running here advertising the foster care system and adoption that says “you don’t have to be perfect to raise a child”. That is only true if your fostering/adopting - the standards are lowered for you but if you are the biological parent, well you do have to be perfect. That is where the problem comes in.

Comment by Debbie — June 28, 2007 @ 6:12 am

I have been dealing with cps since oct 2006 when my autistic daughter was taken from my ex- husband while i was sick and in the hospital. although she was not taken from me, i had to fight for her to get her back. every other month cps tells me that they are giving me all of my rights back but then when we go into the courtroom they just put more objectives on me. Now I am completly exhausted and they just added 13 more. What gets me is that my ex-husband doesn’t have to do anything and he regains all of his rights back in oct. cps says “its the way the system works and i get to deal with it.” I have pretty much decided to expect that the more I do for them the more they will continue to put on me. “expect the worst and hope for the best.” I hope that God is with anyone else who is going through the same.

Comment by robbie — August 27, 2007 @ 9:16 am

I too dealt with CPS. I had a woman break into my home and fall off my porch as she was trying to rush out my door. This woman harrassed me for month over giving her money. When I told her it would be settled by our home owners insurance she got angry and called cps no less than 13 times in two months. Caseworker after caseworker came to my home. I had one tell me I was neglecting my kids because I had one dirty knife in the sink from making the kids sandwiches and cutting off the crust.
Then a few years later i got called on because my children has MRSA. It is an antibiotic resistant staph infection that lives on the body. Some people are more prone to it than others. Even though the kids were under their pediatrians care, I was accused of neglect. The case was dropped.
The most recent was neglect again. All because I was doing as the kids doctor and therapist told me to do. Simply make them clean their own rooms. Amazes me that your not even allowed to discipline your child or try to make them into productive happy people.
I was told if I didn’t get their rooms clean I would lose my kids.
My oldest has gotten so bad because we are unable to discipline him we had to put him in a mental hospital for behavior problems.
I do not like physical discipline but with some children grounding, taking away priviledges and honor system do not work. I do not understand why we can’t teach our children consequences.

I know fo a young woman who had no family to support her who has a preterm infant. She wasn’t offered welfare or housing. She wasn’t offered parenting classes. She wasn’t offered any support. This child was in the hospital in a neonatal intensive care unit. She was barely allowed to hold the baby due to the issues it had. CPS was called on her because of the way she was dressed. Nothing more. They stated she was an unfit parent and never even talked to her. Before she knew it she was told they were doing a TPR. She ended up finding an adoptive home of her choice, not in anyway related to her or her family. A family with similiar religious beliefs. This family had already adopted two other children. But CPS fought that. So tell me why if they didn’t think the child was safe with the mother and though the adopted home was qualified and had already given a loving home to two happy heathly kids, did they fight the adoption? Could it be because they weren’t going to make money off it? Doesn’t make sense to me.

Comment by Dawn — October 18, 2007 @ 11:20 am

I am a foster parent and I am very sad that there is so many people out there that say we do it just for the money. Well let me ask you would $329.00 be enough for you to take care of your child on every month? If you say yes than you are being neglectful of your child. I come from a lower middle class community, we have the highest test scores in NC from our local Elementratry school but over 50% of our community is living under the poverty level. We have 2 children ourselves. My husband works 60 hours a week and I homeschool my children and my foster childen. We by no means are rich but every cent is put back into the future of the children we foster. We have many a child go back to the parents with a savings account set up in the childs name with funds, only for the child to come back into care weeks later yet again abused and there is no money in there account. The system may be failing but it can’t be all because of the state. At some point parents need to take responsability for there lives and there childrens lives admit they have a problem deal with it and move on WITH THERE CHILDREN. Our county in NC does have a high rate of foster care and adoption, go to adoptuskids.org and look at all the children awaiting adoption in NC. Pray hard that if your child has to be taken away it will go to a home commited to love and respect your child, and be there to help reunify your family when you both are ready. All foster homes are not bad, my husband I had to be fingerprinted and fbi check done. We had to go through a very rigerous home inspection and even had to do a small remodel to be licensed. My children had to meet with a DSS worker to find out if they were ok with having other children share there mom and dad (both said yes and they were just 3 and 6 at the time). In all it took between 6-8 months to take all the classes (MAPP, CPR, and first aid) and to do all the paperwork to be approved. So if we truly do it for the money I’m being snookeled because I’m not getting any richer. I currently have a sibling group of 4 who wished to stay together ooooh a total of $1320.00 a month====$150.00 per child for food for home=$600.00 new clothes because they came with rags $100.00 each=$400.00 up to a $1000.00 so far $50.00 per child for karate lessons=$200.00 first month so far $1200.00 then we also pay children for the small chores around the house which is put into a account. So agian I say i am being snookeled because I’m not getting rich. Not every foster parent is after your child, just like not every parent is guilty of abuse, so please stop badgering the people who do take very good care of your children while they are in our care until you can you oin them again to become the parent you need to be and not the angry at the world person CPS has made you.

Comment by Susan — April 7, 2008 @ 10:43 pm

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