by Susan Manning

Created on: March 03, 2009   Last Updated: March 16, 2009

Few of us ever expect to be contacted by Child Protective Services, but it is a situation any of us, even good parents, may face. Should that day come for you, your initial reaction may be anger or fear. You may think, "How dare they accuse me?" or "They want to take my baby!" It is important that you resist these initial reactions, and be calm, cooperative and honest. Most of the cases investigated by CPS do not result in the removal of the children from the home. Doing so causes trauma to the child and adds to an already over-burdened foster care system. Removal of the children is a last resort, after attempts to improve living conditions have failed to eliminate danger to the children. Keeping this in mind will help calm your fears so you can focus on your strengths as a parent.

It is the job, and moral duty, of CPS social workers to protect children. Some of these children are living in horrible conditions and facing serious dangers. Often, the social worker is the only advocate they have. Without Child Protective Services, many children will never find the help they need. The role of CPS in our society is both necessary and effective. Each day, any given agency will receive hundreds of reports of abuse or neglect. Many of them come from other organizations that are required by law to report certain signs of possible abuse, like schools and hospitals. Most initial reports are not considered serious enough to warrant an agency's involvement, but there are several conditions that must be investigated to ensure no at-risk child is overlooked. These may include bruises and other signs of physical trauma, violent behavior, or serious allegations of neglect like malnutrition or untreated health problems. While there are no clear statistics for the percentage of these cases later determined to be unfounded, it does happen. Often, an investigation is required to determine that allegations are unfounded. Weeding out and disposing of these cases is important, as it allows them to identify and concentrate on children truly in danger.

Many of the cases where an initial investigation required further involvement of the agency involve minor and resolvable concerns. In these cases, it is not the intention of CPS to remove children from their home, but to provide resources to help parents in raising their children. CPS will provide referrals to other agencies and organizations for various types of assistance and support for struggling families. They can assist in obtaining

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