I'm having a lot of problems -and I'm sure you know what it's like my fellow human beings :icon_wink. But anyway, a lot of it has to do with my parents. It used to be much worse when they were together. However it's still a problem, with my dad especially. I would like to talk to my therapist about this, however I'm worried CPS will be brought into this. I'm worried about restraining orders and/or separation from my parents and maybe even my life here in San Francisco in case I have to move with some family in another city or who knows? What I want to know is simply what does CPS do? I don't want to know their rules or whatever, I want to know, from someone with experience, what are they actually like?
I've never dealt with CPS before personally but you can tell your therapist anything. The only way they're legally allowed to go to the police or any other outside authority is when someone's life is in imminent danger, like if you're about to be murdered or violently attacked, or if there is a good chance you're going to do something violent. If you're being abused, please say something. CPS does everything in its power to keep children happy and safe, and they also try to keep you with your parents. Usually the only time children are taken from a home for a very extended period of time is when the situation is completely untenable. CPS gives an education to bad and abusive parents. They teach them the proper way to care for a child. They also do routine inspections to make sure that a parent's home is clean, and a positive environment, and that your needs are being met. If the situation isn't up to par, then more classes can be given, or you can be placed with other family members for the time being.
Send a PM to BlairSW. He is a licensed social worker in California who works with foster kids and directly with the CPS system. He's very familiar with mandatory reporting requirements and what triggers them.
It does depend on the nature and depth of the abuse though, and the standards are a little different for someone in therapy vs. a CPS worker charged with overseeing a foster home. That's why I thought talking to someone with experience in both a clinical (therapy) setting and CPS would get the best answer.
It definitely depends on the situation and why they were brought into it. From my experience with them, they come into your home and look around to make sure the conditions are livable for children [check for food, cleanliness, etc.]. They also interview each family member individually to find out how each person is doing. Their visits were always very random and usually very awkward, especially since we were in a nicer house with plenty of food and whatnot. As long as the situation looks okay on the surface, they usually don't dig too deep, which in some cases is a bad thing.
