FightCPS does not advocate or condone violence or illiegal activities of any kind.
FightCPS is intended to help people learn enough about the law to be able to successfully defend themselves and their families against false accusations using legal documents and strategies that put parents in a stronger position when they go back to court.
For more information, see the FAQ.
Child Protective Services, CPS, has devastated and destroyed hundreds of thousands of families in America during the last thirty years leaving a trail of broken hearts, broken dreams, and shattered childhoods.
Rather than helping families, government agents have used unconstitutional laws in Juvenile Court to rip children away from their loving parents, break asunder God-given, natural, parent-child bonds, and adopt the children of the grieving out to others who profit financially with large monthly adoption subsidy payments.
Child Protective Services must be stopped! The law that started this, CAPTA, must be repealed. We must work tirelessly to inform the public of this very dangerous travesty of justice. We must keep faith knowing that if there is a God, there is an answer and a way to end this heartache.
Child Protective Services Agents - please come to your senses! Family destruction on false or trivial grounds is wrong, reprehensible, and inhumane.
Fosterers - be aware that for the money you get you are holding much-loved children away from their grieving families while the parents are forced to perform a service plan that is anything but a service to them. I call this hostage holding for the government. This is not kindness - to help misguided government agents destroy family relationships and break loving bonds.
CPS workers and fosterers - I ask that you now let the children of the innocent return to their homes where they are truly valued, adored, and loved by the parents God gave them.
Family rights are God-given rights. And they should not be ignored or postponed. Every moment these loving parents and children spend separated from one another is a torment beyond what anyone should ever have to bear.
It is unworthy of human dignity to allow this terrorism and torture of families to go on without saying something, speaking out, and trying to make a change.
Site mission: To provide information and support for families attacked by Child Protective Services and child welfare agents, especially those families facing false or trivial accusations of child abuse or neglect; and for researchers working to protect natural family rights.
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Fighting Child Protective Services False Accusations
December 8, 2008
You all have notebooks, right?
Is your notebook up to date?
A notebook, preferably spiral bound or a legal tablet, is a handy place to keep a running record of everything that happens in your CPS case. The caseworkers are keeping notes on you in the case narratives section of the case file. You should be keeping notes on the caseworkers. You should have a record of every contact that occurs during the course of your CPS case.
What can you put in your case notebook?
How about:
⇒ facts on the case (what really happened)
⇒ notes on every phone call
⇒ notes on every meeting
⇒ notes on every visitation
⇒ contacts with expert witnesses (you NEED them!)
⇒ notes about the court hearings
⇒ notes on anything out of the ordinary that happens
⇒ counseling appointment notes
⇒ notes about the psychological evaluation
⇒ a record of all drug tests and results
⇒ reminders about the date of the next hearing
⇒ visitation notes
⇒ foster parent names and contact information if you have it
⇒ notes on all contacts or attempted contacts with your lawyer
⇒ notes on your daily activities
About this last item - it is helpful to have a running record of where you were and what you were doing at all times in case something happens such as what happened to me during my last CPS court appearance, which was way back in 1990. More than eighteen years ago! I was in court for the six-month hearing and was informed when I got there that my child’s paternal grandmother had accused me of being with her son, which in my case was a bad thing because the case was based on him battering me. I was there to tell the court he was no longer in my life and that my child would be safe with me.
Apparently she claimed that her two youngest children had seen me riding with him on a moped a few days earlier. This was totally untrue but she had the accusers write statements for the court saying they’d seen me with him. The court postponed the hearing for another day and that gave me the opportunity to write a declaration (affidavit) explaining where I’d been at the time the younger sibilings said they’d seen me with their older brother. I also got a supporting declaration from the person I’d actually been with. Fortunately I knew exactly where I’d been at the time, and the court was convinced I was telling the truth.
This is just one example of how an ongoing, frequently updated case notebook could save your family.
This posting is here to remind everyone to keep a case notebook and update it often. If you have any other suggestions about the kinds of things that should or shouldn’t be kept in a case notebook, please add your ideas in the comments section.
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Don’t forget copies of documentation letters and reports to the court.
Comment by Sarah T — December 9, 2008 @ 4:53 am
Excellent post. As a retired lawman, many times our notebooks were critical to our court credibility. Some other suggestions regarding this from experience. I represented myself through a 4 yr custody battle & won custody of my daughter, now 24.
1. Every time an entry is made, be sure to include small details: date, time, place, others there. Do it each entry faithfully.
2. Carry a small notebook/pencil (no ink to run out) on your person for notes to add to your journal later.
3. If you use a small recorder, transcribe the recorded details/conversation into the journal, with a note included that you wrote down all you remembered of the conversations as soon as you could. That way no charge of recording without permission.
4. In court, testify from COPIES of the notebook, leaving the original in a locked safe place. If a judge orders you to surrender your journal/notes, you only lose the copies. Same with any photos or other evidence to be used.
5. Be VERY diligent in keeping notes on case workers. At my daughter’s first hearing, I overheard the CPS worker who had testified she wrote the detention report, speak to one of the attorneys in the case. She said she did not know who had written the report, and right then in court was the first time she had even read it. By saying this, she admitted to perjury in court.
I later made use of this fact during mediation with the 4 lawyers, CPS supervisor & a worker to get the kids placed with us temporarily (Gram & Gramp).
6. As I have taught in my college classes, most people put themselves in jail with their mouths by talking too much. Same is true here. CPS is not your friend, so be sure to note every trick they use to get you to say what THEY want you to say. It is all about job security & money for them; the better and more cases they have open, the more $$ they have coming in & assuring a paycheck for them.
Lastly, your notes in the journal can be essential in the case of a civil lawsuit and/or should you be asked to testify in a Grand Jury investigation.
Grand Juries have tremendous power & authority to delve into any aspect of local government operations. Many years ago, a Grand Jury report caused a complete reorganization of the CPS agency in San Diego Co. It all started when a father was wrongly accused of raping his 11 yr old daugher even though the daughter said it wasn’t him. CPS was trying to cover up the police unwillingness to find the real rapist.
Great site. Let’s all work to get more folks involved here.
Comment by Al Ferguson — December 9, 2008 @ 1:03 pm
Are computer documents ok to use? I’ve got a bag full of every court doc, letter, police report, etc, but I’ve also kept files & updates on my pc.
Comment by Susan — December 10, 2008 @ 6:01 am
Dear Parents:
I frequently correspond with CPS in Washington state through E-mails!!! We all do it to friends and family members right? The E-mails can be used againt CPS for it is considered a legal document and they cannot deny the things they tell you and then say something different in court. Do you catch my drift? I cut and paste my and save them for a court hearing. I continually request documents and keep detailed files, but the suggestions I just read were even more detailed than mine. Good Idea!!
Keep fighting!
Debra Braxton
Comment by Debra Braxton — December 11, 2008 @ 1:43 am
To Susan:
Electronic documents are one of the listed requested documents by attornies. I have used everything in my possession and give copies to my attorneys. Scan your precious documents and keep the flash drive in a safe place. I hope this helps.
Debra Braxton
Comment by Debra Braxton — December 11, 2008 @ 1:47 am
Try to record all contact too. I attended a so called best care plan meeting and informed them there I was. Then when I was recording in access they tried to stop me on the grounds they did not give me consent. At this time she had actually abused my son, and I recorded it. I informed her I had a recording of the meeting where I informed Wendy and Wendy said O.K. They have tried many times to prevent em, and to prevent me taking pictures of injuries, abuse, hidden monitoring devices of theirs etc, to no avail.
Comment by Bonnie Arnold — December 17, 2008 @ 2:45 pm
I have a question for anyone who can answer this…….A Lawyer for DHS/CPS sent my sister’s and my mother and my brother, a court order piece of paper (delivered by a sheriff) It stated on the paper that…..the Sister’s the mother and my brother who had not gotten it yet could NOT filing anything any more in the courts unless they use a lawyer to file the paper work and the lawyer had to be a licensed lawyer in the same state? The reason I asked is because my brother has been doing all his filing him self and my sister and mom have been typing it up and getting it all certified and the courts have been accepting all the paper work. It has gotten them pretty far to say the least. But can a DHS/CPS lawyer file such a thing saying you HAVE to get a lawyer if they are doing it right? Just wondering?
Comment by C NN — January 5, 2009 @ 9:38 am
This is news to me!!!!
In this country, one has the right to represent oneself.
Exactly what is the Order? What does it say exactly?
Comment by MaggieC — January 5, 2009 @ 7:27 pm
Well that is what I thought but here is how it was worded……………
Now on this day of December 29, 2008, this court finds that neither BLANK BLANK, nor any representative on his behalf, may submit any document or materials for filing in the BLANK County Circuit Court’s records to the Circuit Clerk or Probate Clerk, unless such documents have been properly signed by an attorney licensed in the State of Arkansas, or such filing is authorized by a Circuit Court Judge of this judicial district.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that should the said, Blank Blank, or any representative on his behalf, attempt to violate this Order, the Circuit Clerk or Probate Clerk is to immediately notify a Circuit Judge of this Court.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Sheriff of Blank County, Arkansas, shall serve this Order upon the following:
Then it named all 4 people….my two sisters, my mom and my brother (who has been doing all the filing)
Have you ever heard of such an order???????
Comment by C NN — January 6, 2009 @ 5:49 am
It is also very important to keep documentation of each and every visit that you have with your children. I know personally that if the county, the case aides who are supervising your visits and the case worker do not like you then they will not necessarily always document the truth. I started keeping my own version of the visits and then at the end of the visit I would ask the person supervising the visit, “How did the visit go?” She would look at me like I was stupid and would tell me that the visit was great. Then I would respond, “I just wanted to make sure there are no discrepencies…
Never trust any of them, no matter how nice they may act to you. I have put my head in their trap more times than not. Never let your guard down. Even when you get your kids back, don’t ever feel you are done with them. They will always watch you, unfortunately. I am paranoid about them coming back even though I never hurt my kids. I lost them because I was a victim of domestic violence. But they “got a high” off of removing my children, according to a former case worker who was in the court room when the order was given to “remove” them. The word REMOVE sounds so sterile and clean but it’s not always in the best interest of the children.
Peace and best of luck to all.
Comment by Mother of CPS Victims — April 17, 2009 @ 1:29 am
Good point about documenting visitations! There’s a visitation report form in the legal document library here on FightCPS - that can be used to document and to send to the caseworker for confirmation of facts.
Comment by LindaJoMartin — April 17, 2009 @ 1:23 pm
i am so looking for real help?i have 3 boys in Calavaris Couny CA.ages151/2,141/2and 12.i have been trying to get the boys back after loosing them a second time as i violated O.P. against their DAD..and worse i selfmedicated w/drug usage..when i was told the boys were going to be removed the following day?big mistake i know..but this all started when i was arrested driving on a suspended..2 counts childendangerment..and we were homeless?i was scared out of my mind..49yrs old 1st time in jail..unsure what would happen ..i signed my kids into “fostercare”at which time they proceeded to build a case of gen.neglect…in aug2008…my oldest son is autistic..he has been injured in care and on both occations ..not informed by cps…it goes on and on…I AM FIGHTING>>>but i do not know who to go to for help..the P.D. basically has no time to fight my case and always convinces me to SUBMIT…ive asked for INTERSTATE COMPACT..back to owr home in ILLINOIS…cps says it can not be done this way??im tired of fighting alone i wish to be back w/FAMILY and FRIENDS..that cps says in court papers …i do not have…and like 3/4 of the case against me falsely presented to the to retain jurisdiction….ive thought to speak to the news…and thought to get a lawyer…but what i really pray for is a way to be heard with out being looked at as a crazy person?but fact is too i do feel alittle crazy…they took my boys…on incomplete and undetermind [in their words]and the rest is usually…inconclusive???its just a mess…i miss my boys…i just awnt to go back home to my 3 older kids and grandkids???any ideas??
Comment by denisebradigan — July 13, 2009 @ 8:33 pm
Denise, it sounds like they already have a lot of evidence against you and that you’ve been through a lot of traumatic situations. I suggest you do everything on your court orders to the letter. Keep documentation on everything you’re doing to comply with the court ordered services. Get as much as you can in writing so you can provide documentation of your efforts in court. Read this site and work with your attorney to prepare legal documentation to try to prove to the judge that you’re making efforts to get your children back. Have a home for them to come back to. Good luck. For more feedback on your case, try registering at our message board.
Comment by LindaJoMartin — July 13, 2009 @ 10:07 pm