If You're Contacted by Child Protective Services

You can avoid having your kids taken away if you remember a few simple guidelines.

This assumes the agency is concerned about the welfare of your children and opens up a case against you.

First: Utilize any services provided that are, in fact, helpful. Women and couples usually felt comfortable talking to me and I was able, thence, to help with troubled emotions and provide useful advice. I also helped with community resource referrals in regard to various issues like medical care and help paying utility bills.

Second: be careful what you say to your worker, especially if you discern a lack of wisdom and no biblical foundation to his/her approach to counseling.

You can dig yourself into a hole. If you, for example, volunteer concerns about substance abuse, domestic violence, marital issues and anger, you might find yourself tasked with additional mandated requirements which will make problems worse.

You might find yourself, for example, required to attend:

• Individual therapy.
• Couples therapy.
• DV classes.
• A.A. or N.A.
• Anger management classes.
• Etc.

Once client, who was much too forthcoming, ended up losing her kids because she relapsed after being burdened with requirements which were far more than she could handle—especially since she also had to work and take care of those kids.

Third: If you are given more requirements than you can handle, just do the best that you can. Tell your worker why you can't fulfill certain requirements—and don't be intimidated with threats.

Do not give in to fear.

As long as you're trying to comply, your kids will NOT be taken away unless you relapse on drugs or alcohol, or it can be established that you committed a serious act of child abuse or child neglect.

Fourth: stay in community. People at church can provide useful help and useful advice. They can also pray for you.

Fifth: Continue daily prayer and daily Bible reading. Your faith is the key to your success. Your family should also be praying and reading, or hearing, the Bible daily.

Finally, my article entitled A Quick Start Guide is recommended.

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