Too Quick to Judge

The premise that a delicate issue as separation be handled by a system that is far from efficient or effective leaves a lot to be desired. Of late I have come across cases that highlights the haste in which Child Welfare officers acted hastily and without getting facts right, making errors and creating situations where permanent, preventable damage has already been done.

The Grant family showed their daughter's injury to her pediatrician. CPS began an investigation and sent a letter that initially ruled out physical abuse. But a month later, according to court documents, CPS could not determine who caused the injury. It prompted the agency to take the Grants' two children while they were at work.

The kidnap was abrupt and without warning. Although the parents fought back and eventually got their kids, it took a whopping two weeks to do so. The aftermath was that their two year old toddler had sleeping problems for a week and little girl in disarray – added to the obvious trauma it costs the parents.

We do terrific harm when we remove a child from their parents, even if it is temporary. It is really damaging to the kids. Of course, it is damaging to the parents,” the Granat family lawyer said. “So that decision has to be made with great thought and great study. We need to protect kids and need to err on the side of caution.

In another horrifying case from the Family Defense Center in Chicago, A baby’s fractured leg convinced the Department of Child and Family Services that she had been abused, despite the fact that fractures like hers are common in kids, and there was absolutely no other evidence against the parents.

It took three months of an intense legal battle before the kids were released back to their parents, after the Courts decided that there was really no case. Three months! From a simple hospital visit.

These quick decisions come at a deep financial, emotional and psychological cost to families involved so you’d expect a lot more consideration from an agency placed in such sensitivity to make better and more cautious decisions.