Mothers standing up to Child Protective Services
I am writing this letter to ask for help with a situation that, I feel, is both unjust in its decision and even more so in the amount of time that it has been allowed to be prolonged. At its heart are two children that have been ripped away from the only family they have ever known and a process that has been allowed to linger in limbo for nearly a year. I am a single mother of two boys. my child 1 is six-years-old and my child 2 is five-years-old. child 1 father refused to be involved or meet him until he was almost three-years-old. child 2 father and paternal grandparents walked away when he was about a year old. Until recently, child 2 had no recollection of them.
In 2007, I met my ex boyfriend, and not long after, we started dating. he had received full custody of his two-year-old son , after the natural mother had become involved with Child Protective Services (CPS). According to CPS, the mother failed to care for her children, resulting in her daughter having a fractured skull. Not long after, my ex boyfriend and his son moved in with us.
On June 3rd, I watched all three of the boys until my ex boyfriend left off work, which was around 4p.m. his son was to stay with his paternal grandmother that night because my children had a T-ball game at 6p.m. After arriving home, my ex boyfriend took his son to his grandmother and returned home to get me and my children to go to their game. After the game, my mother decided to take my children home for the night. At 10 p.m., my ex boyfriend and I received a phone call from his mother stating that his son had been taken to the hospital by his natural mother for a fractured skull and that CPS was with him.
Early the next morning, Child Protective Services called me to tell me my children could not be returned to me, and that they were being removed due to risk. My ex boyfriend was interrogated at the hospital by the Crimes Against Children Unit (CACU) detectives. I contacted the CACU to see if they wanted to question me as well. I volunteered to go to the police station the next day. I was interrogated for a number of hours. Later, I found out my children were also being interrogated at the same time in a different room. Doctors could not come to a conclusion when the incident occurred, which left me, my ex boyfriend, and the natural mother as suspects.
About a week later, we went to court where they removed my children from my mothers care because she lived out of state. My child 1 was put in the temporary custody of his father, and my child 2 was put into foster care. The next day, My child 2 was released from foster care to the temporary custody of his paternal grandparents, whom he didn%u2019t know. I was granted supervised visitation with my children twice a week.
I have spent the last nine months in and out of court, following every order and doing everything I can to prove that I am fit to take care of my children. I have completed numerous random drug tests, a six hour psychological evaluation, two JADAC evaluations, and have attended individual counseling. All of these tests and evaluations came back fine with no further recommendations. I have done all of this and still have not moved one step closer to being reunited with my children.
No criminal charges were brought against anyone due to lack of evidence. Therefore, the judge had us all sign an agreement acknowledging that we all admitted something happened but no one admitted guilt. At that time, the judge returned the injured child to his natural mothers custody. A week later, she revoked the agreement, only to accept it again with further stipulations. As of now, I have no knowledge of my next court date. The judge canceled the last court date because she was unable to make a decision.
I dont understand why my children and I are still being punished. I have never been involved with CPS before. My children have never been physically harmed. After nine months of following the courts every instruction, I am still no closer to resolving this case than I was the first day they were taken from me. I have missed so much of their lives. I have always been there for every holiday, and now I have to see them under the supervision of the very people who walked away from them. My children ask me all the time about when they get to come home, and all I can do is change the subject because I have no way of knowing that answer.
I realize that the duty of CPS and our courts is to look out for the well-being of the children of this community. I not only appreciate that fact, but I truly respect that overwhelming and important task. That is one reason why I have been so compliant and patient in this matter. But in the name of that same duty of doing what is best for our children, I must ask for some aid in achieving a final resolution in this matter. Given the results and findings that have emerged from this due process, I am confident that what is in my children best interest is to be with me, their mother.
My number one concern throughout their life has to been to provide them with the love, care and stability they deserve. It is with that same concern that I am asking for a expedient and just decision, so I can continue to provide that love and care in a stable and sure environment. I look forward to any advice and information you can provide, and I thank you for doing what you can for my family. Please feel free to contact me if with any questions or suggestion you may have. I have waited patiently for cps to do their job but, the problem is they are not. They are keeping my children from me and starving my children from the mother they so desperately deserve. It is time for mothers everywhere to be heard and to get their stories out there. I have been fighting for nearly a year and I will not give up until they are returned.
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