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Intake notes from County CPS
These are a tiny sample of County intake notes
social workers and guardians ad Litem are assigned each week;
J (4) resides with his mother B. G is the father and resides at a separate location.
Law enforcement was dispatched to the home as G used a key that he had previously to enter the family home. G went into B’s bedroom and was asked to leave. G accused B of cheating. A verbal argument occurred and then it turned physical. G jumped on B and straddled B. G punched B in the face with a closed fist on the left side. J was in the same bed when this occurred, he was not injured but B was injured.
A is the mother of a baby boy (1 day old).
A does not have custody of her two other children; they are in foster care in the custody of their grandparents. There is previous domestic violence history between A and her partner. A currently has a restraining order against her partner and the father of the baby. There is minimal interaction between A and the baby.
K is the mother of a baby boy (2 days old).
K has a 2 year old daughter, who her rights have been terminated on. K has a long history of substance abuse, and has been hospitalized due to Endocarditis. K admits to daily use of heroin, including the day she was admitted to the hospital. K has had positive drug screens for Opiates, Amphetamines/Methamphetamines, Cocaine, THC, and Ecstasy during her pregnancy. K has a relative that is interested in adopting the baby boy.
M is the mother of S (16 years old).
There was an altercation between M and S two days ago. It is unknown if there are any marks or bruises on S. S went to stay at a friend’s home. Since S left, M changed the locks on the door, blocked S’s phone number, and refused to let him come get his clothes. S only has the clothes he has on and no money. S attempts to go home and get his clothes and school supplies and M will not answer the door or phone. S’s grandmother is willing to provide care for him.
S (7 months) resides with her parents N and John.
N attempted to take S out of John’s arms and scratched S’s right bicep and middle of her back. N then grabbed a knife and put it to her throat telling John to hand over S or she was going to kill herself. N advised that she had been trying to kill herself for the past 5 years. N struggles with crack cocaine and is in the process of being evicted.
D and E are the parents of F (3 months). They reside with some friends.
D has posted multiple videos on social media of her shaking F. D shakes F “a little aggressively” for about 20 seconds. F cries when this happens and D thinks it is funny. The most recent event occurred 4 days ago. There are other videos of D making F stand up and his head wobbles. There is a video of D giving F mustard.
H is the mother of W (3).
Police received a complaint regarding two females breaking a phone. H was identified as one of the females. H was not home when police arrived. There were multiple friends and family members observed at the home that were intoxicated. Prior to police leaving, H arrived in her vehicle with W. H allowed for the police to search her car and belongings for the phone. The phone was not found. However, H had a strong odor of intoxicants on her breath. H was arrested for operating while intoxicated with W in the car. W was in his car seat but not fully secured.
E is the mother of B (14 years old) . They reside together.
E beat B with a wooden spoon over the weekend. B has marks on her left arm from being hit.
What’s it like though the eyes of a child in these homes?
Watching your mother or sibling being beaten or raped
creates trauma very much like the trauma of being beaten or raped.
There are many forces at play on Child Protective Services today
Parental rights, Racial disparities,
better tracking and reporting
of outcomes-based metrics in CPS
and the over-institutionalizing
of children in the system
(dehumanizing trends)
First, we need to save more children from
crimes being committed upon them
in the homes they are raised in.
KARA reports on the issues of invisible children
This article submitted by Former CASA Guardian Ad Litem Mike Tikkanen
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“What we do to our children, they will do to our society”
(Pliny the Elder, 2000 years ago)
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