If the Child Protection Service (CPS) is investigating you, take it seriously. However ridiculous the idea of you mistreating your child is, the CPS is not coming to prove you are innocent. They are coming to look for signs that may prove you are guilty.
While the CPS’s attitude will help them save some children from abuse, it will also cause distress and problems for you and your children if someone makes a false accusation against you.
5 signs the CPS may confirm an accusation of abuse
If the CPS talk to your child or come to your house, they come with their eyes and ears wide open. Here are some of the things that could trigger their alarm:
- Bruising: Kids can often bump into things, fall over, fall from their bike or the climbing frame. All can result in bruising.
- Fear: Children can be afraid of many things. They might be acting scared when the CPS worker comes around because they know a friend got separated from their parents after a CPS visit.
- Hunger: You might want to feed your child more, but maybe you cannot afford to spend more on food.
- Sleep issues: Yet, most kids have nightmares or trouble sleeping at some point, and there is typically nothing sinister behind it.
- Being left alone: Children can struggle with the concept of time and what is and is not real. If your child tells a teacher or social worker that they are always on their own cause mommy is working, that does not mean you abandon your child alone in the house. It might mean you are working on your laptop so are not available to play.
Seek help if the CPS is investigating you, as errors are easy to make in this frightening time. You need to ensure that false accusations do not harm you or your children.