How to save on your legal fee's when dealing with Children's Aid Society (CAS)
It's shocking.. getting that knock on the door from the CAS. They take so much out of you physically and emotionally. In fact it's humiliating especially when you know you are a good parent. Without the education, knowledge, or experience the first thing we do in such cases is to call our family lawyers. To date it has cost me approximately $25,000 CAD with letters, emails, phone-advice, and wasted court appearances.
If you do not have this kind of money you risk having everything near and dear taken away from you. Mere allegations can show you how guilty before being proved innocent is a reality IN CANADA. Just to let you know, I recently fired my lawyer after we both agreed it's a waste. I now represent myself infront of a "judge", and I have been successful so far to this date. My next court appearance is coming soon, and hopefully it will be the last. Even CAS wants to withdraw as their organization is in MAJOR DEBT.
I realize many people have no access to lawyers, or money. In fact much of what I learned was researched on my own meanwhile I was paying a lawyer for the exact same advice. The lawyers are blood-thirsty parasites, and in many ways are just as bad as CAS. So now, I will give you advice you can learn anywhere and hopefully save money and emotion with.
So what tips can I give to you:
POST EDIT:
@canadian-coconut has way's to keep CAS/CPS out of your life before they enter:
https://steemit.com/familyprotection/@canadian-coconut/finding-a-lawyer-to-fight-cps-and-defend-your-rights
If it's too late to get CAS out of your lives BEFORE they enter, follow this advice:
#1. BE AS FAKE AS POSSIBLE
Yes I know it's hard to be fake when the Gestapo knock on your door. Trust me, if you do not co-operate the hand upon your families throat will become tighter. There is very little legal recourse against these organizations. Lawyers are even scared to go up against them. So being fake means greeting evil with a smile, cleaning up your house, moving all prescription medication, and alcohol out of sight. Make everything look clean and as perfect as possible. I realize this is not how life is, but trust that this will go a long way.
#2. PRETEND TO CO-OPERATE
Again, it's like biting a bullet. Make the social worker your "best friend" and tell them only positives in life with you and your family. Never confide about problems, or admit to the issues being presented. All they are concerned about is if allegations are verified. Do not let them hear or see any indication of verified alleged "abuses". You must do your best to sugar coat every issue, and never bring up anything they might not have been previously aware of. Keep your demeanor calm and respectful.
#3. SECRETLY RECORD
I would have thought you couldn't do this legally. You in fact can and I have done it on numerous occasions. If you find a worker to be acting in "bad faith", you can use this as blackmail. Remember you can fight fire with fire. There are no good intentions with the Children's Aid Society. If you were a bad parent, you wouldn't care if they took your kids away. Be as cut-throat and deceptive as possible. They are your enemy, but they have greater strength due to the corrupt nature of the Canadian legal system.
#4. CHILDREN ARE THE KEY
Sometimes it's best for your children to have their own lawyer in order for them to have a voice. The courts and the CAS rarely care about the children's opinion. This is for more serious cases, but is recommended. It's hard coaching your children on what to say without the CAS knowing about it. They want to make sure your children are not being brain-washed with what the parent or guardian wants. If you do coach your children, they need to be old enough to know that the CAS ARE NOT THEIR FRIENDS. Deception is key.
I hope some of these tips help people out. I would have saved myself $1000's if I had known much of these actionable tips before-hand. Hopefully you will not have any more encounters with this cruel and evil organization. If they only help 10% of cases; it is better for them to not exist at all. Hopefully they will be out of my own life permanently; and soon.
Over a month ago you posted about how your children had been taken away for 2 months for spanking. I imagined that was a long time in the past. But are you saying that although you got your children back home that you are still to this day fighting them in court?
It's not so much of a fight anymore. My ex was doing some bad shit to them and I had no recourse but to tell the CAS what she was doing (a costly mistake). They showed incredible BIAS towards me and let everything she did slide. I then realized they are corrupt on so many deeper political levels. In any case it was an order to get my kids therapy, and I used the children's lawyer to get more time with me. The review that the kids have been going to therapy is in JUNE. At that time I will demand CAS leave our lives as they have done nothing but hurt us. My kids hate them with a passion. I was unfairly grouped with my ex's 'deeds' as it was a political move. The CAS worker has admitted to me that they wish to withdraw as it has cost their organization more than my file was worth. The spanking allegation was created by my ex, but it brought the devil into our lives.
ok. that helps to understand the situation.
To be honest I'm a bit concerned about resteeming your post because it might make some people think that they should cooperate the first moment that they appear at your door, and let them in and let them talk to your children.
My last post was about how that is usually a terrible move:
https://steemit.com/familyprotection/@canadian-coconut/finding-a-lawyer-to-fight-cps-and-defend-your-rights
.
However your advice sounds good if it's too late and you have already let them enter your home and thus already thrown away a lot of your rights to refuse their involvement.
@canadian-coconut it's your channel.. I'm just trying to help the best way I can. Sometimes not co-operating makes them pursue you even harder. That's all. Happy to put in your suggestions in the post. What is interesting is that collaboration is key. I think I edited a post before and it was resteem worthy. Perhaps.. I'll put your link in the post and your suggestions if it's TOO LATE!
Ok check it out. Hopefully we can do more collaboration like this. I'll write a post on responding to affidavits if necessary. I should be doing my own response in 15 days for the court review.
It is not too late to edit your post if you want to, but that's totally up to you.
I am feeling the pressure of trying to provide good advice pretty heavy right now because just yesterday I spoke to a woman on the phone who I have met about 4 times and is a friend of a friend -- who had 3 Social Workers show up at her door and demand to come in and speak to her children. They knew enough to say that they needed to find out what their rights were first, and my friend put them in touch with me.
I gave them the best advice that I could, which is that most of the time they do not have enough evidence to get a court order from the judge, and that is why they want in to fish around for more evidence so that they CAN take your children.
yet, there is always the possibility that they do have enough to already get that court order and if they do than your non-cooperation could work against you.
This winter another friend was hiding out with me while she tried to figure out how to handle social workers at her door. Her husband had told them "not without a court order" and the whole thing was finally closed without them ever talking to her children because they were just bluffing all along.
Amazing. it is a case by case scenario. It depends on where the allegations come. Sometimes the "source" of the evidence is enough to get that court order. Excellent collaboration and suggestion. I am glad I included the link to your blog. it wasn't even an option for me to "not" let them in although there was no court order. Even when my kids were taken away there wasn't a court order. They were just handed to my ex; big mistake on their part. Thanks for creating and basically funding this. I hope it makes a difference in people's lives. Perhaps two years ago it would have helped me. You are correct; admitting I spanked was what did me in. What a fool I was, but I had no idea their power at the time.
I’m sorry to hear about that. I just recently started following this blog.
what a terrible experience. I genuinely hope I can go through life without meeting these people.
Those first two suggestions are great.
I would also add to make your children look a certain way. My kids often have messy hair, dirty feet, and smudges in their face. I’ve never dealt with CPS (Child Protection Services) for my children, but I’ve seen others close to me deal with it - keeping your kids looking like mini-adults with shiny nails helps.
great points. Messy kids would create manufactured "abuse". Hopefully all of these comments in the thread will provide good reading material for future encounters with these agencies.
I once had an issue with a neighbor. Luckily worker knew it was "revenge" thing.
I really fear that they are going to start brining this crap to California. I am sure that people have dealt with this same garbage here.
I'm sure it's in California.. it's everywhere in the "developed" world
This is in California already. It’s called CPS - child protective services.
Teachers and others who work with kids are “mandatory reporters” if you see something that might be abuse, your respknsibility as a government employee who works with kids is to report it (I’m not sure about private schools or daycares). There are consequences for not reporting though I don’t remember what they are.
Great advice. Yes it is all about knowing psychology and playing the game. You have to out smart them. It is kind of like playing poker. You have been dealt a hand. But what you choose to do with it counts more. Indeed record record record. I would encourage a camera at the entrance of your home when then knock If it is disguised they will never know. Great article @bearbear613
it's more about what is being said than anything else. some people cannot play poker unfortunately. It's a dangerous game, but at least there is help and advice out there.
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I hope these buggers are out of your life soon, and they go figure out what helping children actually means...
Sometimes when we are subjected to this situation we forget all those suggestions that they gave us. Being in this situation the truth is that it is not easy, despair governs us