Get Ahead in Your Personal Injury Case

Tips For A CPS Visit

23 February 2017 by Kenneth Pierce

Popular culture in many cases paints Child Protective Services (CPS) as the bad guys, out to rip children from parents and tear families apart. The truth is that CPS workers have a hard job, and for most of them their goal is to protect children and keep families together. They must follow through on all reports, just in case actual abuse is occurring. The following advice can help you if CPS shows up at your home.

Tip #1: Stay calm

Getting angry or demanding to know who made a report will just raise alarms with the CPS worker. Stay calm and polite, but do not offer up any more information on your family or living arrangements than is necessary. Keep in mind that they do not have the right to enter your home unless they have a warrant. Simply ask them for for their name, contact information, and any case number they may have, then send them on their way. If they become threatening, such as saying they will take the kids, simply close the door.

Tip #2: Document everything

Beginning with the first contact, keep a notebook detailing who visited, when, and what they said. Also, write down anything you said. It is also legal to record a social worker on a visit as long as you inform them that they are being recorded. Make sure to ask the worker exactly why they are there. They must tell you the reason for the visit, but don't attempt to defend yourself at this time since anything you say may be used against you later. Instead, just document the information. The more documentation you can collect, the better.

Tip #3: Do not allow the children to be interviewed

Sometimes a social worker will attempt to question the children, either with or without you present. Once you know that it is a CPS worker at the door, calmly send the children away. If the worker requests access to the children, politely request to see the warrant. If one cannot be furnished, then decline the interview. As the parent, you have a right at this point in the investigation to decline the interview on your children's behalf. If they push, let them know you will be glad to reconsider once you have contacted your lawyer.

Tip #4: Be proactive

Just because the agent leaves doesn't mean the situation is over. Instead of waiting for the next time they show up, which may with a warrant and officer in tow, contact a lawyer immediately. A lawyer can make sure that CPS follows the correct process in the investigation, which can help prevent your children from being taken away without cause. They can help you navigate the system, and they can sit in as an adviser during any necessary interviews.

For more help, contact a family law attorney in your area as soon as possible.

Share

Search