Be
polite, even if you're incensed:
Their insufferable,
insidious, condescending attitude will make you angry. It is designed
to do so to allow them to write in their report: "Subject exhibits
latent violence and is uncooperative." Strike one. That's part
of the scam.
Don't
allow them into your home without a proper warrant:
They will lie,
intimidate, and attempt to con their way into your home, but don't allow
it. Unless they have a properly issued warrant, signed by a judge, based
on sworn testimony by a named person, they have no right to enter your
home -- unless they can pony up a possible danger to the child. Be polite
while refusing entry. There's nothing a DHS/CPS/DCFS worker likes more
than for you to show anger and, especially, curse them. They are usually
accompanied by policemen, some of whom will push their way in. If this
happens, you may sue each person involved personally (police officers
and all authority figures are personally liable for damages when they
exceed their lawful authority and exceeding their authority is not protected
by the Good Samaritan laws) not for charging you, but for forcing his
or her way in. Don't get beat up trying top stop them in this case.
Sue them later. You will probably need the money later.
Remember, case law has held that if you invite them into your home,
you give up your right to be safe from search and seizure. Don't let
them in! Make them force it
Don't
sign anything:
They will try to
get you to sign papers, "just to get this sorted out, don'tcha
know," but don't fall into their trap. The only reason for you
to have to sign anything is for you to sign away your rights. Politely
refuse to sign anything until your attorney has seen it and advises
you to do so. And suspect your attorney's advice if DHS/CPS/DCFS recommended
him.
Don't
answer any questions without (your) lawyer being present:
DHS/CPS/DCFS workers
will take this as an indication of guilt, but that's OK. They twist
everything you do or say into an indication of guilt in their minds.
But if you allow them to ask you questions without a lawyer present,
you've given up your right to remain silent.
Do
allow them to see the children through the window to assure them they're
OK:
To reduce the possibility
that they'll testify that you kept them from seeing the children because
they were abused, bring the children to a front window and let them
see them.
Do
take the children to your own doctor as soon as possible:
The next thing
to do is take the children to your own doctor and have them examined
to show that no abuse, sexual or otherwise, has occurred. Then have
the doctor write a report on his findings and give a copy of it to DHS/CPS/DCFS.
If they have decided to charge you anyway, they will reject it and insist
on their own examination, which, once they have taken the children they
may do, and you can't stop it. But your original doctor's examination
can be an effective counterpoint if their doctor says abuse has occurred,
which they often do. They know who pays them for the right finding.
Don't
believe anything they tell you:
DHS/CPS/DCFS workers
are trained in all the best ways to con and scam you into doing what
they want you to do. They're experts at it. Their training spends a
lot more time on this than it does on what actually constitutes child
abuse. They're subjected to months, even years of conditioning and brainwashing
themselves, disguised as training. Many are not even aware they're running
a con on you. They think what they do is necessary to get child abusers
off the street. Many are good people who really do care about the welfare
of the children. It is the people in charge who have the ulterior motive
to take complete control over your children for their nefarious purposes.
But the result is the same. They lie.
Don't
allow unsupervised interviews with the children:
Unsupervised interviews
with your children are little more than conditioning sessions where
DHS/CPS/DCFS workers and their captive counselors use questioning methods
that would not be allowed to be used against a murderer, much less against
a frightened and impressionable child. Your children just aren't prepared
to withstand such leading questioning, which is designed to get something
on you. They con them into believing that you're already in big trouble,
and you can be saved if the children will just say you did something
so they can go home. After children have been taken, there's nothing
you can do to stop these unsupervised interviews that will take place
over a period of months, even years, until your children may finally
break down and tell them what they want to hear, just to make it stop.
But if you stop them from doing it in the beginning, there is a chance
that charges will never be filed and they will not be taken from you.
Don't
allow them to physically examine the child without your presence, or your
lawyer's presence:
Never allow them
uncontrolled access to your children as long as they are in your custody.
If a court orders a physical examination (while you still have custody),
insist on either being present yourself, or have your attorney present
to protect your, and your children's interests In addition, you should
try to videotape all sessions or get a court order forcing them to do
so, with copies to be available to you.
Don't
allow them to come to your home later for an interview:
Allowing them to
enter later also forfeits your right to be safe from search and seizure.
And you can be sure that a sharp-eyed DHS/CPS/DCFS worker will be able
to find something they can twist to incriminate you. If interviews are
required, insist that they be at the DHS/CPS/DCFS office, or better
still, at your attorney's office (that way they can't just take them
while you're there).
Tape
record all conversations with DHS/CPS/DCFS workers and others involved:
To keep an accurate
record of events, plus to have proof of any threats made by DHS/CPS/DCFS
workers or counselors, always tape record all conversations with them,
either in person or by phone (there's an inexpensive attachment for
your phone available at any electronics store, or Radio Shack). Some
states restrict your right to tape conversations, so check your state
laws. In states that allow secret taping if one of the parties to the
tape knows, you can either let them know they're being taped, or not,
at your wish. But in states where notification is required, you should
place the tape recorder in full view in personal interviews, and make
it a point to advise them they're being taped at the beginning of every
phone call. In this day and age, where there's almost a videotape camera
in every home, videotapes of proceedings can also help. Make a record.
Then they can't deny their violation of your rights (Personally, I would
make sure they knew they were being taped, even if the law doesn't require
it).
Keep
a journal:
The same applies
to keeping a journal. If you keep a detailed chronological (day-to-day)
journal of events, showing dates, times, quotes, reference to audiotapes
and videotapes, etc., they won't be able to get away with lying when
they say they notified you of a hearing when they didn't. The very existence
of such a journal (and you should definitely let them know you're keeping
it) will tend to keep them somewhat more honest, or at least make it
more difficult for them to scam you.
Never
accept a plea bargain if you're innocent:
One of their basic
patterns is to pile charge upon charge, knowing they can't make most
of them stick, including the ones they hope will stick, so they can
tell you all about all the long years your children will spend in foster
care if you don't accept the plea bargain they're offering you. One
of their best-used lines is that “if you just confess you will
get your children back sooner”. It's a tired old con, people.
If they had any kind of a strong case, you'd never see them until it
was court time. I don't care how good their plea bargain sounds, if
you're innocent, don't fall for it. That's how they get most of the
convictions they do get of innocent people. They make it look as bad
as possible, then get you to plead guilty, which involves an admission
of guilt. or plead no contest, which allows them to still treat you
as guilty.
Hire
a private investigator if you can afford it:
I know that most
of the people they go after are the poor. They're easier targets. But
one of the factors they forget as they move up the ladder and start
charging more and more middle-class people is that these people aren't
nearly as likely to buy their con. They are much more resistant to being
intimidated because they aren't government wards. And they have more
money for such things as lawyers and private investigators. If you do,
by all means hire one to investigate everybody involved, especially
the worker, the counselors (especially the counselors), the guardian
ad litem, the foster parents who have your child, etc. You'll be surprised
how much evidence of naked bias you'll find in such an investigation.
It's legal, and it's your right. If you find something, by all means
use it.
Don't
willingly surrender the children:
Don't ever willingly
surrender the children. To do so gives them the whip hand. Anything
you can do to keep the children out of their hands stops them from being
able to hold them for ransom (you’re hopping thru hoops).
Don't
do anything that puts you under the control of DHS/CPS/DCFS:
Don't willingly
move out of the home on DHS/CPS/DCFS demand, or do anything that puts
the family under DHS/CPS/DCFS control (see don't sign anything, above).
When they get control, they go wild.
Fight
them, tooth and nail:
Don't ever give
up. One of my favorite pictures is of a heron that is trying to swallow
a frog headfirst while the frog has his "hands" firmly around
the heron's throat. That, for me, is the picture I want to convey to
you. Don't ever give up your quest to keep, or regain your children
from these vicious and evil people who have a demonstrated anti-family
bias. True, many DHS/CPS/DCFS workers are honestly trying to do the
best they can for the children, and there is still a lot of child abuse
for them to work on. But their incessant pursuit of demonstrably innocent
families takes money and manpower away from their ability to pursue
other families. And remember that it is safer to take a nonviolent persons
children that a violent persons children (as they may get hurt with
at violent persons house)
