CPS across the U.S. is a broken system

This is a comment left by one of our friends on a News Story.  It is such an exemplary comment, it is worth being it's own article.

Linda Chalmers
familyrightswi
5:02 AM on October 23, 2011

CPS across the U.S. is a broken system. Based on national statistics, children are abused far more in care than at home. The calculated average is that for every 1 abused child removed from an abusive home, there are 17 NON-abused children removed from LOVING, NON-offending homes.



While the state system REQUIRES that you make ALL Reasonable Efforts to MAINTAIN a child in their home, this is too often overlooked by pious, sanctimonious, untrained agents who assume a parent is guilty, and that their actions are justified by acting aggressively to rip a child from their home.

Of course they refer to this as "saving" the child.



An estimated 80% of cases where children have been removed (per ACF federal reports), are based on false allegations, and end with unsubstantiated findings.

The trauma caused to these children and their families due to the negligent tactics of workers results in life-long irreparable harm.

It is well documented the severe trauma caused to kidnapped children. Be it a stranger lurking with a handful of candy at the playground that steals the child, or an agent/stranger that swoops in to “save” the child, the child, as well as his family’s , the perception/fear/trauma is the same. Children are suddenly isolated from all that was familiar, their extended families, friends, classmates, pets, and community, resulting in serious emotional and psychological trauma that carries on long after recovery and reunification.

The weeks, months, years that these children languish in foster care, their anxiety more often than not, numbed by drugs, while their families fight desperately to bring them home is inexcusable.

These children are not thanking anyone for “saving” them. Actions by an agency to remove children that are NOT in imminent danger, erring on the side of safety, is not acceptable.

Children cannot be collateral damage, this is ABUSE. While no one can deny that there are children that do need saving, we, as a society need to do better.