RE: If A Social Worker Interviews You
I literally just placed this comment on another post. It is appropriate here as well:
Print this out and memorize it:
- Check to see who is at the door through the curtain. If it is not law enforcement, someone you know (and want to talk to), and or weren't expecting, close the curtain and DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR. DO NOT SPEAK TO THEM.
If you do not acknowledge who you are or even open the door, they cannot claim they positively identified your or that you were even home.
- If you feel you must open the door - AT ALL TIMES, (no matter the weather), open the door, step out onto the front porch in as little space as possible getting through the door (so they cannot see in as much) and CLOSE THE DOOR BEHIND YOU.
Be careful that the door is NOT locked before you do this (so you don't accidentally lock yourself out). You can even go as far as making sure that what can be seen through your front door is NOT incriminating or provides any sort of tell-tale indicators of any kind. I do.
- If they identify themselves as CPS (etc), NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY TO YOU, repeat the following phrase: "Please show me your properly executed warrant or court order. Without one you need to leave." (Optional: hold cell phone out): This is being recorded.
It doesn't matter what they say to you, what questions they ask of you, etc...DO NOT SAY anything to them outside of this.
Example:
THEM: Are you so and so?
YOU: "Please provide your properly executed....."
THEM: "Are you and so and so?"
YOU: "Please provide your....."
THEM: "May we come inside?"
YOU: "Please provide your....."
THEM: "We're concerned about the children."
YOU: "Please provide your..."
THEM: "We can show that you're not cooperating with us by not letting us in."
YOU: (arch your eyebrow and squint your eyes and or grit your teeth and or cock your head to the side): "Please provide your...."
Do this as long as it takes for them to leave. Record it on your cell phone if you must right there in front of them. They are on your property and you have a right to record them on your property! Are video cameras pointed at the front door any different? NOPE.
Tips
leave your curtains closed in the front (and or the back if they can just walk around to the back). You don't have a right to privacy in your home if they can peek in your windows, whether on your property or standing on the sidewalk or from the road. Anything they can see inside your home is fair game to be used against you at that point. This SUCKS but it's saved my bacon MORE THAN ONCE!
Learn to stop opening the door all the time. You aren't obligated to. This has also saved my bacon MORE THAN ONCE!
Role-play the above scenario with friends or family until you get comfortable, opening the door with as small as space as possible and closing it behind you while standing on the front porch. Even do it with the cell phone and let the first words be out of your mouth, "You're being recorded. If you don't consent to this, you need to leave."
You could turn this comment into a great post!
DONE: Here it is -- fleshed out, with pictures and everything: here
Just to add to the security measures, a curtain across the inside of the doorway can obscure the view of the interior of the home while one is exiting the door.
Otherwise, excellent and complete advice!
Excellent advice. We have a security/fly screen door in front of the main door and I talk through this if I don't know them. It can't be seen through from the outside unless it's dark out and light in. There's a security light too light them up too.
For anyone who does not homeschool, I also want to point out that social workers will go to the kids school to interview them. They will get around laws by having a school district employed counselor do the interview if necessary. Let's just say they took this action with absolutely NO notification to the parents (myself and my ex). In fact, I knew it happened because my kids let me know that day.
I've been told by school officials that they are "not allowed" to say "no" to CPS and they are "not allowed" to notify the parent's first. Here in the states, a child has the right to have an attorney present. I know Legal Shield provides that service (I'm not an associate), BUT whenever I've logged that into my kids' files in the past....that's what I was told.
Even though the child has the right to have an attorney present, they are not allowed to call the parents first or even notify them. I told them then they ARE REQUIRED to call my child's attorney to be present before any interviews take place with my kids.
Do you think that happened?
Nope.