Meeting CPS is Not Good for Your Mental Health...Literally

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I can think of few things worse than having ones kids forcefully taken away...especially on the bases of false/inaccurate accusations. Everyday the scope of what the system qualifies as justifiable grounds to seperate parents from their children expands, Indeed it should be considered an achievement to raise kids to adulthood without attracting the attention of the Child welfare system.

Once CPS gets involved in an issue, the aftermath can be devastating irrespective of the outcome to innocent families. Win or lose, some families are never the same.

Interventions have been linked to rising cases of PTSD among parents, who go through the ordeal of having to subject themselves to all manner of violations in other to clear their name and get their kids back.

It is particularly stressful because of the physical, financial and emotional burden it places on parents. For instance, the period between an investigation and when justice is finally served on a case can run into years, while the parents continue to face uncertainty, along with a huge toll on their financial wellbeing.

Some parents, especially mothers may become suicidal after a forceful intervention, and it has indeed been linked with an increase in suicide attempts.

Mothers whose children were taken into CPS custody had 286 additional suicide attempts and 76 additional suicide deaths per 100,000 person years compared to their non-CPS involved biological sisters. They had 352 additional suicide attempts and 77 additional suicide deaths per 100,000 person years compared to mothers who received general CPS services.

Data gotten from the Population Research Data Repository at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy.

Unfortunately, it doesn't get better for the child either, as studies shown children forcefully taken away from their parents are at risk of increased mental issues even when they are reunited with them.

This research documented far-reaching effects of these separations into adulthood, including increased risk for mental health problems, poor social functioning, insecure attachment, disrupted stress reactivity, and mortality. (SRCD).

The best way to confront these atrocities remains to addresses the excesses and injustices to ensure that justice is served before we become victims.