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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by 64bowtie on December 4, 2004, at 1:19:23
About the I am not the victim mantra... migrated to a discussion of Child Protective Services. So let's do some more.... I'mcurious about more stories.....
1. Any CPS stories You want to share?
2. What is your opinion (good/bad) about CPS?
Let's see where this goes...
Bear this in mind, most of the kids end up better off after CPS gets involved, but at what emotional price to all?
Rod
PS: I personally see a need to rethink the CPS mission so as to not favor the poor by going easy on them and do gestapo tactics on those who can pay, as I have witnessed with my acquaintances in the past who were descended upon... I got testimonials from county social workers who didn't realise who they were talking to. They laid out the details (names, dates, and circumstances) of how they must not be unfair to the poor because their lives are already so rough. Also, they can't play favorites with those who can afford to pay or they will give CPS a bad name. I found these two attitudes so messy and dysfunctional, I was stunned and later, angry, then determined to see wisdom take over where "chuckleheads" are now in charge. Cps is a "band-aid" process that needs some mature research and discussion to remove the emotional tearing of souls that goes on today. Its a mess, that luckily seems to benefit more kids than not.
Posted by Toph on December 4, 2004, at 8:26:21
In reply to Thread migrated to CPS as a topic, posted by 64bowtie on December 4, 2004, at 0:47:31
Rod,
CPS is a complicated topic, but to reduce discussion to a couple central themes, some would say that government social services is founded on noble ideas but flawed in practice. It's ironic that child protection evolved out of the animal rights movement. There was actually government intervention to protect animals before there were laws protecting children. Anyway, the child welfare movement is founded on the state's authority under "Parens Patriae" which means literally, "parent of the country." It is the state's role as sovereign and guardian of persons having legal disability. Parens Patriae originates from the English common law where the King had a royal prerogative to act as guardian to persons with legal disabilities such as infants. This principal also applies to authority over persons with developmental disabilities, chronic mental illness, other incapacities (such as organic brain syndrome and dementias), as well as children who are presumed incompetent. Over time child welfare has progressed from a mandate to intervene to protect abused/neglected children and other incompetents to where it is now considered the state's responsibility to so act.Having worked within that system, I have experienced the failings of a bureaucracy in acting as the "parent" for a child. To name a few problems, the due process rights of the judicial system protect the rights of the parent as if we are dealing with property. The child or ward has their rights protected by a guardian ad litem or advocate who is rarely one of community's finest lawyers. Foster parents who are actually altruistic, competent surrogate parents to children get burned out and leave the system, leaving often foster parents who have less noble motivations for this "job." The financial reimbursement for being a foster parent hardly compensates for the responsibility of caring for a human life.
It is a tragic irony that the state as "parent" of abused and neglected children becomes an abusive and neglectful parent itself. Having said that, I stayed working in the system because I believe I had some impact on protecting children in desperate circumstances. That it was so diffidult and because the consequences of getting it wrong had such a damaging effect on a child led to my burnout and bailout. The average length of stay of a CPS worker in my state is about 2 years. I wish I had a solution for the mess. God bless all those who endeavor to make incompetent people safe. They should have all the tools necessary to be successful.
Posted by multitask on December 4, 2004, at 13:41:47
In reply to Thread migrated to CPS as a topic, posted by 64bowtie on December 4, 2004, at 0:47:31
I was placed in foster care at age 2 with my older brother who was then 6. We were both sexually abused. Back in the 60s they did not check out foster families as much as they do now (though I can't say it's much better now). I can also say that in another foster home, one of my younger brothers was blinded because he was thrown into his crib because he had collick. The doctors misdiagnosed the problem and gave him paragoric (sp) and he ended up blind. So out of 4 children -- all in foster care, 3 were in horrible homes and and one was in the ideal home. if the odds are the same 1 in 4 children are in acceptable foster care situations when CPS intervenes, than to me those odds are not acceptable. My experience with CPS is that they mean well but more often than not for whatever reason children fall between the cracks of the system. In Virginia, the goal of CPS is to try to preserve the parent child relationship at any cost. Often times children are removed from abusive situations only to be returned after the parents takes a class (in parenting) and often times the situation is no different. There is the problem of follow up. Many caseworkers are so over worked that again children fall between the cracks because there isn't proper followup.
Posted by 64bowtie on December 4, 2004, at 14:34:26
In reply to Re: CPS as a topic » 64bowtie, posted by Toph on December 4, 2004, at 8:26:21
Some of what you shared is so clarifying! I didn't know about the common law roots. I was toooo quick to ascribe the origins to the mid-fifties Dr.Spock era.
Thanks again for the insights you shared. Your torture is over, so now we each can seek out bigger and better goals in our lives......
Rod
Posted by Toph on December 4, 2004, at 14:55:26
In reply to Re: Thread migrated to CPS as a topic, posted by multitask on December 4, 2004, at 13:41:47
Bowtie,
I shudder to think what circumstances you and your siblings had to endure. It almost embarrasses me that I feel sorry for myself someimes given your experiences. That you have apparently transcended the abuse and instability of your youth is such a credit to you and the resiliency of children. I am especially impressed that despite your hardships you talk about the failings of the system designed to save you without vitriol, as if you have come to some peace with the terrible cards that you were delt in life. To not let your childhood define yourself is a great accomplishment and should be a source of great personal satisfaction. I hope this is the case.
-Toph
Posted by Toph on December 4, 2004, at 14:57:22
In reply to Re: CPS as a topic, posted by Toph on December 4, 2004, at 14:55:26
Posted by 64bowtie on December 5, 2004, at 3:38:29
In reply to Re: CPS as a topic, posted by Toph on December 4, 2004, at 14:55:26
> Bowtie,
> To not let your childhood define yourself is a great accomplishment and should be a source of great personal satisfaction. I hope this is the case.
> -Toph<<< Please bear with me. I do see that the whole of your response was intended for multitask. May I have a crack at this last point?
How my childhood has defined my choices in adulthood has been a torturous struggle. Something cosmic emerged from my studies, that there is a glimmer of vanity in my reaction to my childhood picture I see in my head.
May seem counterintuitive, but I was saying, sometimes out loud, "My life should be better than it is!" Eventually I asked, "Who says my life should be better than it is?" Yep. Who says...? My vanity says I shouldn't have a messy life!
My life is only a life that belongs to me. There is no guarantee it will be this or that kinda life. That's just my snotty puffed-up ego saying I'm not happy and its somebody else's fault! Wrong!
I don't make any statement about anybody but myself. If any of what I just said seems to resonate, then like myself, I hope you can come to pieceful freedom and happiness, eventually.
Acceptance was my mental-wrench I used on myself to straighten out my reasoning on this issue, while changing that picture in my head.
Rod
Posted by sunny10 on December 5, 2004, at 15:02:46
In reply to What a great, great post!!! Thanks so much.. » Toph, posted by 64bowtie on December 4, 2004, at 14:34:26
CPS is like any other agency in the country. Overworked and underfunded.
That is the problem.
If we could have people donate money to CPS instead of underprivileged children in OTHER countries, we might get somewhere. Why do they not publicize for fund drives like all the ads for starving Ethiopian (or wherever) children?
We are all about "all show, no substance", in America anyway. We tell the rest of the world to be like us, democracy, democracy, democracy, when in truth we are all capitalism. The big conglomerate CEO's are running this country.
Wouldn't it be great if the federal government ran a one year only HIGHER tax on the coglomerates just to fund this extremely important agency?
I was just hiking the higher trails at Wissahickon Creek near Philadelphia today. During my cooldown period, I walk back on the main trail. I got to reading the historic posts spread throughout the trail. One of the posts was about the WPA, an association to have unemployed, or underemployed, individuals working for pay and/or assistance (food and shelter) during the Great Depression. What a concept, eh?, people were given government assistance IF THEY WORKED on government projects. And now it has degraded to welfare... paying people to do nothing. People who are competent to work.
And that money disappears from the coffers which were designed to help agencies like CPS, adult services, and all of the other "incompetents"- people who cannot otherwise help themselves.
So who makes the government fix their mistakes? Any ideas?
Sorry for my ramblings to get to this, but I thought it was, overall, important to make my point...
This is the end of the thread.
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