My Stance on Georgia’s Foster Care System and DFCS

REFORMING DFCS AND GEORGIA’S FOSTER CARE SYSTEM!

Georgia’s foster care system is a vile disease, wreaking havoc in our state and stealing children through Georgia’s Superior and Juvenile Courts with the help of the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS).

In my 10 years plus of being an advocate for families and their children and feeling their pain of having their children illegally ripped out of their arms and taken from their homes,  it pains me to see that the people who are involved show no remorse and have no legal authority to do the things and file the bogus petitions that allow them to get away with stealing children.

The stories;

Right now we’re in the battle with GA DFCS to keep our now 7yo son. He continued to pee his pants after potty training, we took him to doctors/specialists/psychiatrists for 2+ years to find out why, and when the urologist finally told us what was wrong and how to fix it, we began treatment and within 2 months he was getting better. She also suggested therapy for self-esteem issues.

I found what I thought was a therapist (she is just a counselor), gave her family history for 2+ hours, and on our second intake visit, she removed my son from the room and talked to him for twenty (20) minutes. She never mentioned a thing to me, and let me go on about my business, even being chatty, while I made another appointment.

The next day, DFCS knocks on my door and says someone reported my husband for sexually abusing my son. Uh, what?! I knew immediately who it was, allowed the investigator to interview me and my son (for the second time, she’d already been at school), and she left. She threatened me by telling me she would not get me an appointment with the Georgia Center if I didn’t to A, B, and C for her first. I had all that she asked fnished within a week. I knew of my husband’s innoncence, had nothing to hide, and just wanted my family safe.

For the next four weeks I called the caseworker asking about this appointment. They hadn’t called her back, she said repeatedly. I think: this is a place especially for sexually abused kids and they don’t return calls? Personally, I think the CW didn’t bother to call. Anyway, DFCS has thirty (30) to do an investigation, so at day forty-two (42) I call the advocacy group that was formed when GA lost the first law suit with Children’s Rights. I had an appointment within two hours for two days later. Amazing.

We go to the appointment, they interview me and all I can say is I can’t believe this is happening (which they later twisted into lies), then they interview my son. After about an hour, the CW comes out and says they”re taking him because I’m in denial and coaching him. She then proceeds to lead him out.

So after that long story, my question/s is this: How can they take him legally? They had neither a court order or police (and I found out today they never got an order), he was not in imminent danger as his father had already moved and we offered no contact if my son could stay home, so under what grounds did they remove him? They can’t just remove him because of allegations. My son has never in over ten interviews (12 if you count the CW’s) repeated what the hack counselor claims, so how can they have done this?

The only court orders we have is the probable cause from the 72-hour hearing, then all the continuances as our ten-day hearing has taken five months. The only evidence they have is what the counselor told them. The CW did not investigate, as that requires at least 2 collateral contacts, speaking to the accused, etc, and we know for a fact she didn’t even glance at a medical report let alone talk to any of his pediatricians, psychiatrists, urologists, neurologists, teachers, special ed teachers (he has slight behavioral problems which has improved with one on one work), family members, or neighbors. They haven’t listend to him let alone us, and all they’re basing this on is an allegation from a child saver counselor (her brother is in the CASA office) who is refusing to even testify about what she claims!

So how can they have taken my child without probable cause and a court order? I have yet to sign one piece of paper save for the continuances. I think this happened because I complained the ‘investigator’ wasn’t doing her job.

Sorry for the ramble for one question. It’s been really hard, and it seems DFCS is determined to keep him. They even tried to get my visits stopped, and now they’ve suddenly started accusing me of helping with the abuse because I was there and didn’t stop it. They also accuse me of not calling the police. Basically, they want us to admit to abuse that didnt happen. They cannot have my son, period.

Oh, and criminal charges against my husband have never been filed. We have never spoken to the police because even they and the DA see no evidence, but we can’t stop DFCS from tearing us apart.

Thanking you in advance.

(anonymous)

This is not the only cases I hear and see, I receive tons of cases with these heart wrenching stories of how parents are having to fight for their children when they have done nothing wrong to begin with.  How do authorities, state government officials, and other government entities get away with practically legally kidnapping children, stopping your visitation, not letting you know where the children are and getting away with it is beyond any comprehension that I may have.

I don’t know what the future holds for parents and families, but I do know this, that this repetitive behavior of DFCS must be stopped.  I don’t know all of the answers in how we can reform the foster care system nor DFCS policies, however, I do know that being aware of these things should help, I know it wont be easy.

God Speed to all parents, and any other person who is going through the system with what seems to be no way out.

Peace and God Bless, Paige Roberts