whateveryparentshouldknow

by Susie Turk
“Our Nation’s Children’s and Family Services Agencies Need an Overhaul”

As far as I know, many American states don’t require potential foster parents to undergo pre -licensing substance abuse testing. Additionally, many foster children, after being removed from their immediate family home(s) by Child Protective Services, commonly suffer from symptoms associated with one, and often times combinations of the following disorders:

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Tourettes Syndrome
ADD
ADHD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Anorexia
Conduct Disorder

Sexual Disorders
Internalizing

These are only a few of the behavioral disorders associated with foster care placements. Granted, there are occurrences of such disorders presenting in children prior to removal as well, however, the numbers of foster and foster/adopt children presenting with such disorders after placement are staggering. Additionally, the more often the child or children are placed or moved, the worse the emotional behavioral disorders become, even with therapeutic treatment. As for how often foster and foster/adopt children are medicated, well, I don’t even want to go there, but I will tell you this, once again the numbers are overwhelming.

How does she know all of this, you ask? During our 4 years of providing foster care, my husband and I lovingly welcomed more than 30 children (and their families) into, and out of, our family home. Believe me, we know. We lived with these children. We learned about all of this from them, not just from our training. We get it. We understand it, and it’s not good.

Are you aware that many State’s County’s Departments of Social/Family/Human Services and their sub-contractors (intentionally) withhold diagnosis of the previously mentioned disorders? This generally occurs for the particular purpose of saving on the substantial expenses of foster care placements as well as removing any possibility of the diagnosis scaring off and/or overwhelming potential adoptive families? But, what if the child brought into your home is a previous, current or potential sexual offender? What if this child hasn’t yet been officially documented as being such offender, or potential offender? What if, due to the lack of full disclosure, the unofficially diagnosed foster/adopt child or children infect your biological family with the spread of any one, or combination thereof such disorders?

How, if at all, does this standard practice put the essential needs of any children first? How does this put the essential needs of whole families first? How in the world does this standard practice provide for suitable, stable future generations of possible nationwide, or potentially worldwide leaders? These broken children may, or will, eventually grow into broken adults. Granted, I don’t speak of every child in the system. Some children are lucky enough to be blessed with minimal damage. Better yet, some may actually receive appropriate care and ultimately relief from their symptoms. I’ve personally seen, with my own eyes, the many other children who have, unfortunately, not been so lucky. No matter how you look at it, it’s not good.

I find the whole Family/Child Welfare system seriously needing an overhaul. Currently, the system in place allows over-burdened caseworkers the authority to unilaterally document their own interpretations, perceptions and/or opinions of statements/events as reported by them against the in-placement child’s authentic family and/or the child itself, without any sort of factual verification. Because of privacy issues, video and/or audio recording is only allowed as said agencies see fit. This is typically done for their own benefit. Use of this standard practice provides the investigating agencies protection from possible liability. Unfortunately, biological parents, or whoever the primary caregivers may be, are refused the right to record anything resulting in the elimination of confirmation and/or verification of omissions, alteration, and errors made by caseworkers in regard to the so-called parents or primary caregivers. Furthermore, a public defender is not required to be present while their client (the parent etc.) is questioned or spoken to by a caseworker or such thereof. In layman’s terms, families are left unprotected and at risk from possible, potential and likely improprieties, errors, omissions, manipulations, and spin which may potentially cause further and future harm to the family, whether intentional or not.

There are no witnesses to corroborate the sensitive facts reported on, and documented by, these caseworkers. Caseworkers are afforded the freedom to spin so-called details and facts at will. Additionally, through the use of experience and well learned techniques, as well as the occasional sleight of hand on the part of the case-worker, the so-called parents or primary caregiver(s) rights to the protection of personal information, information sharing and Express Written Consent regarding Combined Agency Informed Consent forms, may potentially be altered and/or manipulated by the caseworker. This inappropriate practice provides for the unexpected exchange of information to occur regardless of the lack of necessary consent.

Many, if not all, Social Service Departments and their representatives nationwide, including Family Courts and their representatives, DO NOT want you educated. If you’re properly educated about the inner workings of Children’s Protective and/or Family Services Agencies, you might have a chance to think for yourself, rather than your only option being that of forced compliance just because they said so, and you didn’t know any better. This also applies to children in foster care placements. In other words, well-represented, educated families certainly run the risk of rocking the boat. This makes their tasks more complicated, time consuming and much less within their control.

Social Service Agencies have agendas in which they must actively remain successful, and always on their terms, regardless of the irreparable damage done to immediate families while in the coarse of obtaining this so-called success. On top of that, there are budgets to meet, payrolls, lunches at meetings, snacks at trainings and the always reliable unforeseen expenses. In simpler terms, they win while you and your immediate families lose everything. Meanwhile, they’re minimally financially compensating strangers to raise our children with subsidies sometimes as low as a couple hundred dollars per month per child. Administrative fees paid separately to agencies for child services range from hundreds to thousands of dollars per month per child.

Are you aware of the fact that families receiving involuntary service from Child Protective Agencies are billed for the services they’re forced to receive? Additionally, these families must pay, whether or not they are financially able to do so. Social Service Agencies reserve the right to pursue in court a judgment or lien against you for monies owed by you for the forced services rendered. Again, how does this seem appropriate or helpful to the children and/or families of said children? If a family or any of its’ member lose their employment because of their requirement to attend a class, a therapy session, a meeting, an evaluation, an assessment, or better yet a hearing, how does this assist the family? From my perspective, the more they work to find a realistic solution to the initial problem(s), the larger the unresolved problem(s) become. Is pushing a family to homelessness or hopelessness really helpful? I genuinely think not. You should also be aware of the fact that extended family members must be approved by Social Services before they can assist their own families. Crazy isn’t it. On top of everything else, the amount of errors made by employees of many Social Service Agencies is thoroughly unacceptable!

There must be a better way to assist and preserve biological families. Please, America, demand parent education and get involved. Parents, please, get educated. Educate your children about the REAL Child Protective Services. Help to promote their voices being heard too. Let’s all work together to make a difference, not just in the life of a child, but for complete healthy families. We can give! We can teach! We can mentor! It’s not about compensation; it’s about preserving families.

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