A hearing on December 18, 2008 informed Connecticut state legislators of DCF injustice and cruelty to families. One participant, an out-of-state aunt, told legislators that family members were denied kinship care rights because the court ruled they had no bond with the child, a girl now totally separated from her natural family. Many others came forward to tell legislators their stories of injustice, trauma and distress at the hands of DCF caseworkers.

According to the article written by Arielle Levin Becker, State Representative Toni Walker, a Democrat from New Haven, wept and said, “We as a state have failed miserably in this situation.” One hundred and thirty eight people signed up to testify at this hearing, the last hearing of four, and apparently the only hearing allowing the public to testify. People spoke out about rude DCF social workers and unjust family devastation practices.

The hearings were scheduled in response to the death of an infant in foster care last May.

Source: Familiar Complaints Aired At Hearing On DCF by Arielle Levin Becker published on December 19, 2008 by the Hartford Courant.

The Hampshire Social Services caseworkers don’t want us to read this story. In fact, they placed an injunction against the Mail Online news site when they found out the story was in the hands of an investigative reporter there. That was two months ago; the Mail pursued a legal fight to get the injunction lifted so that Michael Shergold’s CPS story could be told.

Michael Shergold, 55, is the father of four children - the three he raised and the one he wasn’t aware of until social workers sent him a letter asking him to get in touch. They told him a woman he’d had a brief relationship with had a child which was taken from her on child cruelty charges.

They found the child an adoptive home in 2006 and didn’t bother contacting Michael Shergold until January 2007 even though he’s lived in the same house for the last 11 years and wasn’t hard to find. At first they strung him along, pretending they would evaluate his home as a permanent home for the boy. The evaluations included a series of invasive questioning sessions.

The true reason that Social Services caseworkers contacted Michael Shergold was that they wanted him to donate one of his organs to the boy because the boy’s mother has already refused. Her reason: she wants to have more children!

Last November a judge ruled that Michael Shergold could not have custody because it would be too disruptive to the child. Was it because he had remarried - this time to an American woman of color? Two days later the child was formally adopted out to his foster parents.

Though Michael Sherwood and his other children are not allowed to see this child, the social worker still wants him to agree to donate his body part so the child won’t die.

The statement Social Services made on this matter is jaw dropping:

What kind of NONSENSE is that? This man was robbed of his child under color of law. Those responsible have apparently committed what I consider a treasonous offense against a British citizen. This is shameful and reprehensible. These social workers and the judge(s) that agreed to this injustice should be held liable and punished.

The mother who concealed this child from Michael Shergold was found guilty of child cruelty, but is allowed to see her son even though he’s been adopted. Mr. Shergold, who is guilty of nothing, and who has a long-time steady job, a stable home and marriage, and plenty of successful parenting experience, is not allowed to see his son. He is only allowed that “contribution he could make to his son’s life” meaning an operation to remove one of his vital organs.

Where’s the justice?

Source: ‘You can’t see your son - but can he have one of your organs?’: how social workers left one man with a terrible moral dilemma by Alison Smith Squire, published on November 2, 2008 in the MailOnline.

I really don’t like to read stories like this.

Last Friday a couple felt compelled to leave a hospital in Michigan with their newborn infant because CPS social workers in Saginaw asked Lucas County CPS social workers to interview them.

If I remember right, CPS in Michigan is called FIA - the Family Independence Agency - or have they changed their name again?

My feelings are always so divided when I read about things like this. I scanned the article for clues to what led this couple to make this life-changing decision.

The results so far: The couple and baby are on the run. CPS now has legal custody of the baby according to a Toledo police sergeant, William Wauford, though before they left CPS had tried to get a court order and failed. And there are warrants out for the arrest of Fredrick and Margaret Badenhoop.

Why my feelings are divided:

I never advise parents to run with their children because I know, over the years, that in most cases where this happened, the parents were apprehended and the children ended up in foster homes anyhow. Plus I have a policy of never advising a parent to do something illegal, or something that would get them in worse trouble with the law. I believe that staying firm and fighting CPS in a court of law is a better choice. But this may be one of those cases where it wouldn’t have worked to do so. At the end of the article it says, “Child Protective Services had taken at least one other child from Margaret Badenhoop.”

According to a law passed in 1996, the Adoptions and Safe Families Act (ASFA), if anyone has had their rights to another child terminated, CPS can take future babies without benefits of any kind of service plan or visitations. This can lead to incredibly cruel and heartrending scenes in hospitals where CPS worker have walked in and pulled infants from the arms of loving mothers, for no reason except that another child was already taken.

I swear I cannot help but hate social workers who allow themselves to be the agents of such cruelty. Why on earth would anyone want the bad karma associated with someone who would do such a deed?

I don’t know what the issues are with the Badenhoops, or what their motivation was, but I do know that their problems are severe and they need all the prayers we can give them and their child.

I really, really don’t like it when things like this happen. My heart hurts so much for the people involved.

Source: Parents take their baby, flee hospital, face charges by Lania Coleman for The Saginaw News published on July 23, 2007.

It always astounds me when people come onto this site, say I’m not doing the right thing, and suggest some other thing I should be doing to help change the CPS system.

For example, today I checked the comments for this site and found a comment from Darrin who thinks I should be tracking down a man I’ve never met, whose name I don’t know, to get more information before posting something about a news article.

Sorry, Darrin. I don’t have time. Do it yourself if you think it needs to be done.

Then I came across Carla’s message about creating a new child protection system. Great idea, but again, I don’t have time. I think Carla should do it because after all, it is her idea.

This reminds me that not long ago John told me I should focus my efforts on getting more funding for foster children. Yeah, right… like I would ever do that! Foster parents already get lots more than welfare recipients, and they keep complaining. Don’t get me started on that one! If John thinks that’s the answer to all CPS problems, then John should do something about it.

We all are led by our hearts, to do what we think is right.

Back in October 2000, my heart told me to start this site. I’ve been struggling with this site for almost seven years now, and with trying to help people going through one of the most emotionally devastating events of their lives. And every time I hear about CPS injustice tearing a family apart, it takes a toll on me. I’m constantly upset by things I read on this site - for example what RJ just wrote about his infant being taken by a CPS agent at the hospital because his fiancé mentioned that she’d been depressed when she was 13 or 14. What teenager hasn’t? Why does that mean a firstborn child should be taken from its loving mother? This stuff really haunts me and grabs at my heart.

Many times it isn’t easy for me to bear - which is why I’ve left the message board here in the loving hands of other advocates and activists who want to help counsel people going through CPS hell. That is what their hearts tell them to do, and I’m so grateful for anyone doing anything to help change this inhumane system of cruelty to families. I don’t need or want to be the center of attention here. I’m only doing what my heart led me to do seven years ago, and I know it isn’t right to stop doing it yet. So here I am, still, after all these years.

Which brings me to the point of this article, which is that we all should listen to our hearts and our consciences, and take whatever actions we feel appropriate for the highest good of all involved. If your heart tells you to advocate for families one-on-one, then do it. Don’t expect me to - as that’s not what my heart tells me to do. You do your thing and I’ll do my thing. And hopefully if we all work on doing our heart-inspired tasks, together we can make huge changes in the world.

One person can’t do it all. Don’t even try… this problem is way too big for that. But do your own small part, just as I’m doing my own small part. And don’t think that this site is the ultimate family rights site. If your heart is telling you to create another one, there’s a reason for that! Maybe it is the right thing to do! Don’t hold back. Everyone has talents and capacities that can be drawn upon to help fight CPS and make this world a safer, healthier place for families. Do your own small part and don’t worry about what others are doing, and don’t be like Darrin, Carla and John, and try to tell others what they should be doing. That’s not helpful at all.

If you’ve read this far, I thank you. And I want to tell you what I’ve been doing lately.

It may surprise some people like the three I just mentioned, but I don’t spend all my time working on this website. I hold down a part-time job in my community, and I own two small businesses that are barely profitable… but they keep me busy. I live in an extremely low-budget cabin in the Klamath National Forest, which I rent. I’m not a lawyer and currently don’t work in the legal profession at all. I have a boyfriend I dearly love who expects me to spend a huge part of my time with him. I’m a 55-year-old woman (boyfriend is 56) and I still have one child at home, plus four adult children. My youngest is almost 18 and so soon, for the first time in 35 years, I’ll have no minor children to take care of. Also I have no grandchildren which considering the work I do on this site, could be a divine blessing and protection.

For the last few days my home has been threatened by a forest fire. I live in far-northern California, in a small town called Happy Camp. I came home from my birthday trip to the coast on Saturday night to find that there was a forest fire blazing on the hill next to the forested hill I live on. One of my part-time small businesses is the Happy Camp News site which I’m grateful to say, is in the process of being sold so I won’t have to keep working on it. But this week I’ve been posting articles about the fire, doing interviews, etc. plus I had to remove all my valuables from my home and pack everything, because it seemed that evacuation was imminent. At this point the fire is less intense, however that could change again. So all this stuff is going on, plus I’m still going to work where our workload tripled because of the huge numbers of fire fighters present in our town at this time.

Then I came in here and saw messages from Darrin and Carla, and well, this article is the end result. I don’t need anyone telling me what to do with my time, or saying I’m not doing enough by providing this site, some simple legal information, and a message board for people to connect on. This is what my heart leads me to do, and I’m doing it.

I know that most of the people who come to this site appreciate what I’ve done here. I’m sorry I’m not able to do one-on-one counseling and legal help, but I really don’t have the time or stamina, and like I said, hearing the sad stories affects my heart, and it is nearly more than I can bear at times. I’m a very sensitive person and I love you all.

I don’t want you to stop writing about your heartaches here - because I want the people that matter to come here and read these things. I want CPS workers to stop by and read what we think of their tactics for destroying families. I want foster parents to know that many of the children they are hostage-holding for the government are taken unfairly from innocent parents. I want legislators to come here and realize the CPS system is horrible, unjust, and inhumane. I want them to know that they must be the ones to take the lead, by writing laws to end this system of cruelty in our country. I want lawyers to know that if they aren’t defending their CPS clients actively and aggressively, they are doing a disservice, and are (in my opinion) frauds to be taking on clients they can’t or won’t defend properly. I want them to have the heart to do what must be done in court to safeguard family rights.

Enough said. Thanks for reading, and I’ll post more sometime when I’ve got more time on my hands for publicizing the details of all the injustice CPS does to harm children and families. That seems to be my lifework, which my heart draws me to. I’m here for you as much as I can be, and wherever else I am, you know I’m totally on your side, hoping for all good things to happen in your lives.

The featured topic of the July 23, 2007 issue of The New American magazine is “Families Separated By The State.” Attorney Greg Hession has a feature article in this magazine, titled, “This Is Child Protection?”

The magazine is available for sale for only $2.95 - 2007 New American Back Issues - though you can read Hession’s article online: This Is Child Protection?.

Hession writes about the terror of a government child-snatching home invasion, the snitch network, the court process, statistical evidence, and what can be done about it. He concludes, “Change will likely come only when its cruelties have been exposed, and the public reaffirms that raising children is the responsibility of families, not the state.”

I have been working to expose CPS cruelty for eighteen years now. With the advent of the internet, the word is getting out much better than before. Every one of you who builds a website, or starts a new MySpace or Squidoo Lens, or other similar type of page explaining what CPS does to families, or who goes onto a parenting message board and tells people the truth about CPS, is helping to get the word out. Please keep up the good effort. Write letters to the editors of newspapers. Write to your state and federal legislators. Keep the heat on CPS and the cruel system of family abuse. That’s one of the best ways of seeking change.

This site map is under construction. I have about six hundred more pages to add. In the meantime if you want to find something on this site, try using the search box on the left side of this page.

About Your CPS Case
Who Will Prepare Your Case?
Your Case Notebook: Is It Up To Date?
Don’ts and Do’s When Falsely Accused

Abuse of Foster Children
Michigan: Another Child Beaten To Death In A Foster Home
Texas: Foster Parent Convicted In Death Of 3-Year-Old Foster Child
Vermont and Ohio: Protecting Children From Abusive Fosterers
Ohio: Child Collecting Foster Adopters Sentenced To Prison
Texas: The System Is Maxed
Washington: Foster Parent Arrested For Abusing A Foster Child For Ten Years; CPS Caseworkers Ignored 15 Reports of Child Abuse!
Baby Bruised in Foster Care: What Will Happen To Sean’s MySpace?
Oregon: Innocent Baby Girl Brain Damaged By Foster Parent Child Abuse
California: Foster Parent Pleads Guilty To Child Molestation
Washington: Spokane Foster Parent Pleads Guilty To Criminal Mistreatment
Texas: Foster Parent And Son Jailed For Sexual Assault Of Foster Children
Florida: Child collector caught with nine abused, imprisoned children and adults adopted from foster care in New York
Michigan: Lawsuit Filed On Behalf Of Foster Children Endangered By DHS Negligence
Missouri: Foster Parent Sentenced to 15 Years For Sexual Abuse of a Young Boy
Connecticut: Foster Parent Neglects Children At Casino

Abusive CPS Employees
Georgia: DCFS Administrator Arrested For Child Cruelty
Indiana: CPS Caseworker Cory Heinzman Convicted of Molestation
Iowa: CPS Social Worker Charged With Perjury during TPR Hearing
Washington: Spokane City Councilman Exposes and Lambasts CPS
Social Workers Needed for child stealing saving
Oklahoma: DHS Director Investigated For Child Neglect
Ohio: CPS Social Worker Fired For Not Following Court Orders

Administrative Hearings
Filing For A State Administrative Hearing

Boycotts
Boycott Wendy’s Restaraunts

CPS - Child Protective Services
Parents: Do You Remember The Fourth Amendment?
What Do They Call CPS In Your State? - 6.5.07
Arizona: “New” CPS Risk Assessment Tool Called “Antiquated”
How Can We Solve The Problem Of CPS False Accusations?
CPS - What Does It Really Mean?
When You’re Dealing With CPS, Where Are Your Friends?
Don’ts and Dos when Falsely Accused of Child Abuse or Neglect
Tell Us About Your Favorite Web Pages For Information on Fighting CPS
Calling CPS

CPS Reform
Connecticut: Flex Funds Can Keep Children At Home

Central Index
Has your name been added to a child abuse list?

Child Detentions
Texas: Pot Smoking Toddlers Sent to Fosterincarceration Facility

Family Destruction
TPR Trial - Day by Day Account at MySpace

Families Reunited
New York: Three-year-old Julia may be returned to parents soon
Jack and Casey He: Tennessee Supreme Court Upholds Parental Rights

Family Stories
Michigan: ‘My Name Is Lisa’

FightCPS Website
Major Site Update/Redesign Coming Soon
CPS Evil Kidnapper
Site Update Almost Done
Amazing What Some People Think I Have Time For!!!
Fight CPS on Web 2.0 Sites: Squidoo and MySpace
Policy On Copying Things Found On This Site - 8.12.07

Foster Parents
Build Suffering People Up, Don’t Tear Them Down

Grandparent Rights
Scotland: Grandparents Want Legal Rights To Contact Grandchildren
Pennsylvania: Non-Abused Child Ripped From Loving Grandparents

Guestbooks
FightCPS Guestbooks

Lawsuits
Possible Class Actions Regarding Psychological Evaluations
Class Action Lawsuit Planned
California Class Action Lawsuit Planned

Lawyers
Lawyers who take CPS defense cases
Make Your Court-Appointed Attorney Work For YOU
Post here if you need a CPS defense lawyer

Legislation
Indian Child Welfare Act - ICWA - Is A Disaster For Many Families
Dangerous Federal Legislation: The Mothers Act HR 20

Legislators
Vote for Family-Friendly Legislators
Contacting Your State Legislator For Help

Media
Stolen Baby Video At YouTube
DVD Review: Snap Decision
New American Magazine: Families Separated By The State
Michigan: WJR Radio Gives Parents Opportunity to Expose CPS
FightCPS Prayer Requests

Protests
DC Rally 2008

Research
Study Concludes That Kids Are Better Off In Troubled Homes Than In Foster Care

Running From CPS
Michigan: Parents Flee With Their Infant To Avoid CPS

Suing CPS and/or CPS Employees
Wisconsin: Federal Decision Against CPS Social Worker
California: Verdict Against CPS for 4.9 Million!
Washington: Children Sue CPS For Allowing Them To Be Abused By Foster Parent
New Federal Court Decision Against San Joaquin County, California CPS Social Worker
Texas: Katie Wernecke and Family Are Suing CPS, Six Social Workers, Nueces County, and Two Deputies
California: Former Foster Child, Adoptee, Files Lawsuit Against Los Angeles County

“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

A Georgia child welfare administrator for the Department of Children and Family Services (DFCS) has been arrested for felony child cruelty according to news reports. The accused woman, Cylenthia Clark, 38, is an assistant director for Fulton County DFCS.

On March 13, 2007 News4Jax.Com published this article:DFCS Official Accused Of Spanking Daughter With Belt. According to this news report the accusation came after school officials reported that the accused woman’s eight-year-old daughter had marks on her back and legs.

The mother apparently has confessed that she forced her daughter to strip down to underwear, then spanked her with a belt. She claims this isn’t child abuse and that it was done because the girl misbehaved at school.

The eight year old girl and her three sisters, ages 6, 5, and 3, have all been placed in protective custody.

Because of this accusation Cylenthia Clark is having second thoughts about how child abuse cases are handled. She is quoted as saying, “It makes me very empathetic; it makes me look at some of the cases that we handle. It’s something that down the line that it’s something that we are really following through and getting all the questions answered before we assume that person is guilty.”

And that’s a good point. Is she guilty? In America we are supposed to be considered innocent before proven guilty, however for thirty years parents have complained that in child abuse cases they are considered guilty first, then forced to prove their innocence. It can be very difficult to prove that something didn’t happen when government-paid experts are saying it could have.

What seems strange to me is that the arrest warrant states that the beating took place on February 7 but the school personnel didn’t see the welts until February 28. That’s 21 days later, and welts were still visible? If that’s correct, the injuries must have been severe.

Here is another news source for this story: DCFS Official Denies Abuse