wrongs have been committed by cps types stepping in when they shouldnt have. no argument there. but i worked with women & children who were abused, even tortured, by their father-figures (occasionally the other way around)...& quite often cps/ courts dont interfere when someond certainly should. just reporting abuse is often difficult, & it may take months for anyone to investigate (if they do). the one time i sat in on a court case, the judge appeared to doze off during any testimony related to the mothers "side", & this wasnt an unusual attitude among judges/ leaders in that town.
in our cases, the kids didnt go into the foster system since they had their moms. i am trying to figure out how anyone mightve made a bundle of cash from our clients. maybe it was the section 8 housing the moms qualified for? or the job training? oh wait, those forms of aid didnt hinge on getting rid of the batterer.
all that being said, i did lobby perry to veto that bill (in '09? '10?) with language giving cps agents the right to decide to take kids if they think its best - without even a judges approval, or an investigation, etc. that basically made it legal for them to repeat what happened at YFZ Ranch...or even take a kid on a single family level. i have been out of this loop a while now, so i dont know the latest.
the case you mentioned does sound like the worst kind of loss & tragedy. i am sorry it happened. btw, if there was no way to convict the father of abuse, then the kids wouldnt be taken from the mom. she can only be an accessory if she allows proven continued abuse....
__________________
|