Posted on 12/30/2003 6:15:12 AM PST by chance33_98
Yeah. One of those jobs that doesn't care if the worker is a heroin addict.
CPS gets countless calls from people who get their jollies from turning in their ex and undesirable neighbors. Because the public isn't honest in their reports and there aren't enough workers for the caseload, there have to be rules in place to determine if a report can be opened for investigation. Any caller who is vague or hasn't personally seen the child most likely will not be followed up on. Yes, it's sad that kids sometimes fall through the cracks, but nothing is perfect. If life was perfect parents would love and care for their children properly and there would be no need for CPS. It's also sad that the media only reports those incidences and totally ignores the thousands of kids CPS does indeed save.
It also angers me that people constantly dump on CPS workers. I guarantee that most complainers could not handle the job. It's not pleasant work having to go out at 2 AM to gather up traumatized children who just witnessed one parent blowing the other's head off. It's not fun having to pick your way through rotting garbage that's literally piled to the ceilings of a house leaving only narrow dark trails from room to room. Many times there's roaches and rats and no water and the toilets are filled and the walls are smeared with poo, but the worker must hold down the vomit. Maybe once every few months you're lucky to have a moment to sneak home to shower and scrub your head well and wipe down the car with lysol and chlorox so you can pick up your own kids from school, but usually your kids have to ride in the car with everything.
Because of funding, CPS doesn't make "well baby" visits much anymore. It simply has no time due to the amount of more violent cases. It's only recently that there's been a law about killing a CPS worker. I've been on home visits where the guy would strut around with loaded guns or burst in and threaten to shoot me. Unlike LE, social workers don't have backup so they're on their own to calm down the wackos and druggies. Once in a great while the worker can sweet talk or beg a LE to follow on a known hostile homevisit but they will stay in their patrol car so you're still pretty much on your own behind closed doors.
As in any profession, not all workers are qualified or conscientious, or willing to go the extra mile. However, the vast majority of social workers do care and take a personal interest in their cases. I'm just tired of the constant criticism of CPS from John Q. Public who knows nothing.
In order to follow the established talking-point guidelines, your responses to this thread must include at least one of the following phrases:
1. This is unfortunate, but...
2. ...anecdotal evidence...
3. ...only after someone who does drugs commits a crime then they should go to jail...
4. ...I'm a Libertarian but I don't like Harry Browne...
5. ...nanny state...
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your tired old apologetic responses. Carry on.
I think it is more the widespread perception that we even need a CPS.
In 1960, we called it the 'Welfare Department' and few, if any, people wanted to show their faces there.
Kudos to LBJ, the Democrats and the "Great Society"!
Could be any job!
Airline pilot, bus driver, ship's Captain. After all, drugs only harm the user, and how dare we pass moral judgement on these people!? This is America!
Now, if the heroin addict crashes the plane, flips the bus, or spills oil over 23,000 square miles, why, then we can hold them responsible. Of course. Just like alcohol.
Sitting on the front porch one night, I heard what I first thought was a cat fight. I then realized it wasn't a cat, but a child in the house across the street. Then I could hear hitting sounds..I thought, "oh, I must be crazy." I started counting the sounds, and the child's crying became weaker.
I was crying, too and called the 1 800 child abuse hotline number in the front of my phone book. I counted about 69 "hitting" noises, and the child's cries faded to a whimper.
I can't remember now if the lady at the 1 800 number asked me to call the local police, or if she called them, but I remember her saying, "Don't you go over there."and "make sure the police knock on the door, and that they demand to see the child."
The police came out, and by the time they got there, everything was quiet. They sat in front of the house for a while, and then left. I called the 1 800 number again, and told her the police didn't go up to the door, and I was afraid the child must be dead by now, or seriously injured. The police were called again, but still did nothing. A week later I received a letter from CPS that they had investigated, and found that child abuse/neglect had occurred, and that they deemed no follow up was needed. I called CPS, and was told that the mother admitted to hitting the child, but said she wouldn't do it anymore.
I live in a small town. This child was probably two and a half at the time. About six months later, there was an article on the front page of the paper soliciting donations for medical care for this child's medical treatment, as he had all kinds of physical problems with his digestion. I figured his problems were caused by having been beaten by his parents.
CPS took the word of an abuser that they wouldn't hit their child anymore after one visit, and no follow-ups. Oh, yes, poor maligned CPS.
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