Child Protective Services (CPS) is supposed to be in the business of helping children, and while I’m sure many in the agency work very hard trying to achieve this goal, the outcomes leave much to be desired. On the whole, children “rescued” by CPS end up more damaged than children who have experienced any other type of abuse, and kids are actually more likely to die while in state custody than they are in their natural homes. In other words, the harm we do to children “rescuing them” from suspected abuse and neglect is typically more harmful than any abuse they are being rescued from.
These deficiencies are the result of the way the agency is structured, not necessary the competence of its workers. Social service interventions continue to be guided by flawed politics and ill-conceived notions of child welfare. Unfortunately, more than 100 years of horrors, lawsuits, and court orders, have failed to fix the system. The only way things will change is if the public becomes more aware of what is really going on.
Wether you are some who found yourself in the crosshairs of CPS, someone who knows a child who was hurt by social services, or just someone who is interested in advocation in behalf of children, please take the time to familiarize yourself with this information and share it with others. Some very vulnerable children will be thankful for it.
Research, Studies, & Information on Child Protective Services
The following information covers topics such as why children are removed from their homes, the effects and consequences of CPS intervention, the safety of children in foster care, and much more.
- How Well Does CPS Actually Protect Children?
- Children Killed in Foster Care State Custody
- Child Separations: The Effects & Consequences of Removing Kids From Their Home
- Foster Kids & Health Care
- When CPS Removes Children Who Are Not Actually Abused
- Problems With Child Welfare
- Fixing the Child Welfare System
- Coaching & Manipulation of Children By CPS Workers