Fuck CWS!!! (Child Welfare Services)

[Scrapheap]

In typical Orwellian fasion, this agency (I'm refering to the California branch for the purpose of my rant) is named the opposite of what it actually is.

Just like the Ministry of Love tortured people, the Ministry of Truth told lies and propoganda, and the Ministry of Peace fought wars, Child Welfare Sevices uses the police to kidnap peoples kids.

My best friend Matt has been fighting a year-long battle to regain custody of his son. His "crime"??, his drug-addicted, pathologically lying, ex-girlfriend accused him of being a drunk, OUTSIDE OF COURT!!! A passing CWS worker just happened to hear, and he lost custody. One year and $6,000 later, he STILL doesn't have him back.

Child Welfare Services = screw with the State and we'll declare you unfit parents, and kidnap your kids.         

[Semicolon]

If you think that's bad, read up on the child welfare system in Great Britain.

[Osensitive1]

Every system has it's downfalls. Child protective services does a lot of good too.

[Parts]

Every system has it's downfalls. Child protective services does a lot of good too.

The amount of harm they do is not insubstantial. 

['Butterflies']

If you think that's bad, read up on the child welfare system in Great Britain.

You seem to know a bit about Britain. Have you ever lived here?

[Scrapheap]

Every system has it's downfalls. Child protective services does a lot of good too.

The amount of harm they do is not insubstantial. 

 

For every kid that they genuinely help, they probably wreck 3 families. 

[Adam]

If you think that's bad, read up on the child welfare system in Great Britain.

Yeah the child services here are shit. And you'd think they'd have learnt from their mistakes after some pretty high profile cases in the media. But no. They've eebn shit with my family as well. Iwouldn't even know where tpo start on fixing it - they're a mess

Kind of the opposite problem here though - NOT helping kids that are in shit families.

[Parts]

If you think that's bad, read up on the child welfare system in Great Britain.

Yeah the child services here are shit. And you'd think they'd have learnt from their mistakes after some pretty high profile cases in the media. But no. They've eebn shit with my family as well. Iwouldn't even know where tpo start on fixing it - they're a mess

Kind of the opposite problem here though - NOT helping kids that are in shit families.

They do a lot of that here too

[Osensitive1]

The amount of harm they do is not insubstantial.  

Surely not, but without them children would have no legal advocate. Would love to stick around and discuss but need to crash.

For every kid that they genuinely help, they probably wreck 3 families.

That's a big assumption. Alcoholics don't generally have their children taken away just for the sake alcholism. Maybe there's more your friend isn't telling you.

[Semicolon]

If you think that's bad, read up on the child welfare system in Great Britain.

Yeah the child services here are shit. And you'd think they'd have learnt from their mistakes after some pretty high profile cases in the media. But no. They've eebn shit with my family as well. Iwouldn't even know where tpo start on fixing it - they're a mess

Kind of the opposite problem here though - NOT helping kids that are in shit families.

Really? I've heard of a lot of the same problems like the one Scrapheap mentioned, only worse (forced adoptions, baby snatching in order to meet government targets for adoption, accusations of perjury by social workers, etc.). If I recall correctly, there have been a few cases related to a parent having autism. Also, I've heard of secret tribunals that automatically impose gag orders on parents whose cases come up for review.

[Adam]

I dunno a lot about the subject in general, but all the cases I'ev heard of have been kids who've been left with abusive parents/stepparents. Some of them have ended pretty badly - look up Baby P if you haven't heard of him

My only experience with social workers related to kids has been pretty shit too. They've done pretty much nothing, and when they have intervened, it's made things worse for the kids.

[Scrapheap]

For every kid that they genuinely help, they probably wreck 3 families.

That's a big assumption. Alcoholics don't generally have their children taken away just for the sake alcholism. Maybe there's more your friend isn't telling you.

No, I've known my friend since we were kids, and he's a straight shooter. I also get info on the side from his Aunt who backs up what he says. His Aunt isn't just backing up his crap either, she's had a few criticisms of the situation.

[Semicolon]

If you think that's bad, read up on the child welfare system in Great Britain.

Yeah the child services here are shit. And you'd think they'd have learnt from their mistakes after some pretty high profile cases in the media. But no. They've eebn shit with my family as well. Iwouldn't even know where tpo start on fixing it - they're a mess

Kind of the opposite problem here though - NOT helping kids that are in shit families.

Really? I've heard of a lot of the same problems like the one Scrapheap mentioned, only worse (forced adoptions, baby snatching in order to meet government targets for adoption, accusations of perjury by social workers, etc.). If I recall correctly, there have been a few cases related to a parent having autism. Also, I've heard of secret tribunals that automatically impose gag orders on parents whose cases come up for review.

Here is one source on which I read this information. There are others, but this site had the most news stories and links to third-party sources.

[Parts]

One of the problems here in the states is that a lot of the people who have the most problems know how to play the system the ones who don't and are inexperience in it, like perhaps Scraps friend, end up spending thousands to just get their kids back and when they do they will end up needing therapy from the experience.  I have seen this personally.  Another problem is it's a big bureaucracy, which I hate, and nothing good comes of big bureaucracy  except for the bureaucrats

[Callaway]

I have a friend who was investigated by Social Services because a physical therapist who was sent to her home to help her son didn't like where in the room she had her couch and reported her because of it.  Thank goodness the social worker to came to investigate had some common sense, although she talked to the baby's older sister at school without my friend's knowledge or consent.  

Another friend was reported by her daughter's school to social services because her daughter got a bruise on her leg when she was jumping down off the school bus and fell at school.  The really stupid part is the child fell right in front of her teacher and the school still reported her parents for abuse. Once again, they were lucky that the social worker had common sense, but once again, both of her siblings were interviewed at school without the parent's knowledge or consent.

I know another couple who actually lost their kids because their house had dirty dishes in the sink.