What to do if CPS knocks at your door?

Hello! Today I want to continue the topic of information support for families, who have not yet faced with CPS. In my post, I rely on the laws of the Russian Federation, but judging by other posts of community members, the laws and actions of guardianship agencies are similar in many countries.

Today, the state authorities may take the child from his legal parents, guided by a wide variety of reasons, which includes such common reasons as:

• Failure to give children a vaccine
• Mismatch flats sanitary standards
• The Lack of housing repairs
• Disabled Parents
• Divorced parents

Children should be forcibly removed from their families only in the most extreme cases. Such a protection measure can only be used in situations, that simultaneously satisfy the following three conditions:

• The Presence of a child in the family is a dangerous
• Threat is real and comes from the parents or persons replacing them there is
• No other way to solve the problem, except for withdrawal

Only nowhere at all, in any place not reveals, that is called "immediate the threat life and health." This decision is entirely at the discretion of the authorities. And what they will consider this threat-their private matter. Interesting, isn't it? If the staff of guardianship unclear, there are doubts, they look for options, how to take away the child, bypassing the application of this article. For example, the police are involved, and it is an act of neglect — that is, the detection of a child without supervision. Although in reality the child could find at his parents at home with the same parents, standing nearby. It is impossible to talk about neglect in this sense. But the law on prevention of homelessness allows for a very broad interpretation of the concept of neglect — they can consider the inability of parents to control the child to be neglect. The police can say, that the parents did not notice any problems in the behavior and health of the child or do not pay enough attention to him - so they do not control his behavior under this law.

The second is a very common option - a voluntary-forced application for placement of a child in a shelter or orphanage, which parents write under pressure or threat of deprivation of rights. Or they are promised, that it will be much easier then to return the child without unnecessary hassle. You handed over the baby yourself, then you took it.

Custody rarely comes out of the blue. No raids on the apartments they do not produce. The visit of guardianship usually follows after some complaint - for example, from a doctor in a clinic or from a teacher, from neighbors. So, what to do if your doorbell rang and the staff of service of guardianship? The first thing you do - is check their files. During the visit proceed from the basic rules:

1. The child has a regime of the day, and the visit of the guardianship officers is not a reason to violate it. That is, if the child sleeps – it is not necessary to wake him.

2. If in your apartment, it is customary to take your shoes off, wash hands - employees of CPS should do this. You should politely but firmly ask them about it. In addition to purely practical, it is also a psychological moment: in most cases, a person without shoes immediately loses the "boss" tone. In case of refusal to take off their shoes – don't hesitate to put visitors in the door.

3. All people in your apartment should be in your field of vision at the same time. For example, if someone refused to pout under the pretext of "I'll stand in the hallway" - ask him to leave the apartment and lock the door behind him, continuing for the rest of the "tour" of the apartment. Attempts "split up, to to dispose explore apartment " should immediately stop: "Please, follow the for me", "I didn't invited you in this room", "I will you all show, but, please, in my presence of."

4. Tune in, that the owners of the apartment are still You, and You've done nothing, that would give other people the right to look inside Your fridge or drawer for underwear.

5. Any "strangeness" noted by the staff of the guardianship, for example, the absence of a pram due to the use of sling, should be explained and insisted on fixing these explanations in the inspection certificate (more about it below).

6. It will be good, if the inspection of the apartment will be made at witnesses, for example, you can invite neighbors to attend. If possible, try recording the entire visit to a video or voice recorder.

7. After the visit of the Commission insist that the so-called "Act of inspection of housing" was made here, with you, two copies, and each copy was signed by you and the members of the Commission. It should not contain "empty space", cross out or fill in all spaces before signing. If the representatives of the guardianship will refer to the fact that they have 7 days to prepare such a document, please note that You are not asking to make an act of inspection of the conditions of residence of the minor, namely the act of inspection, these are different documents.

I think it is very suitable saying: forewarned is forearmed. Remember, the absence of panic, confident behavior, control over situation in the course visit - this are your assistants. I hope, this post will help to soften the blow from the CPS visits.

Thanks for reading!

In this post I used fragments of an interview of the President of the charity Fund "Volunteers in aid to children-orphans" Elena Alshansky: https://meduza.io/feature/2017/01/26/na-chto-imeyut-pravo-sotrudniki-opeki-iz-za-chego-oni-mogut-zabrat-detey

Image Source:
http://helpprison.ru/2017/03/28/elena-mizulina-bet-trevogu-organy-opeki-vse-chashhe-izymayut-detej-iz-semej-nespravedlivo/
http://r.smotry-film.ru/22/kartinki-vesy-pravosudiya.html
http://mamatov.com/after_allergo_offer/