Dependency and Neglect & Social Services’ CYA Policy

Let me cast political correctness aside and maybe burn a bridge or two.  After 22 years of working with Dependency and Neglect cases in Arapahoe, Adams and Jefferson County, I continue to have one principle ingrained in me over and over: Social Services (now called Human Services to improve their image) is NOT most concerned about your children.

Social Services workers will sacrifice your family unit 10 out of 10 times if they feel it will make them safer (not your child).  The greatest fear Social Services has is getting a call of Child Abuse, making an informed decision to leave a child at home, and then something bad happening to the child later on.  They greatly fear criticism of their decision to leave a child with his parents.

This scenario has occured many times, as good social workers leave kids at home to protect them from the tremedous harm which occurs to a child who is pulled away from her parents without warning.  While 95% of the time this is a good decision and the kids are fine, in some UNPREDICTABLE instances, parents go on to hurt their children left at home.  Then the bombshell is dropped and the news medial  publishes a story criticizing Social Services’ decision to leave a children at home months before. They cite experts who say the child should have been taken “just to be safe”, and if the child was taken, he or she would be alive or in good health today.  Human Services case workers and administrators in Denver, Douglas and Larimer County fear this type of criticism and possible job loss.

To protect against this fear, Human Service’s new montra is: “take a child from her parents just to be on the safe side”, and avoid any possible future criticism.  In this unwritten CYA policy practiced by caseworkers and administrators, children are hurt.  The people who espouse an undying interest in kids’ welfare, have let fear rule the day – and children pay the price.

I remember a caseworker telling me the child’s emotional harm was not a concern when physical harm was a possibility. The certainty of emotional harm during formative years was ignored to make sure the lady in front of me was secure in her job.

We sometimes work on Dependency and Neglect cases connected with criminal cases.  It is a sad process as everyone in the system (magistrates included), worry most about their jobs and only second about kids.

Call us at 303-731-0719, before speaking with the police or Human Services. Together, we can protect your family’s future.