Child Protective Services

Child Protective Services, or CPS, is a government agency that will respond to any reports of child abuse and neglect on behalf of the state government. Although there is a long history in the United States of efforts to protect children from abuse and neglect, it was in 1958 that the Social Security Act made it necessary for states to allocate money to protect children and in 1974 with the passage of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act that the government began to partially fund child neglect and abuse reports.

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Child Protective Services generally intervenes about 24 to 48 hours after a claim is made. If a case worker finds the claim plausible, then the child will be removed from the household and the child will be deemed in need of services by a judge. From this point, the judge will order the biological parents to some form of work toward self-improvement with the hopes of reuniting the familial unit. Until this may happen, the abused or neglected child will be removed and placed in a foster home with a family member or volunteer foster parent until the courts can work out potential reunion.

Generally, the courts will check in with birth parents or the guardians from which the child was retrieved every six months. If the parent or guardian has not shown any improvement or an ability to care for the child, then his, her or their parental rights will be involuntarily terminated and the child will be available for adoption. In most cases the children will go through the foster system several times before permanently being removed from their homes and placed for adoption. This suspended time, in the foster care system can be difficult for the children who, abused or neglected as they were, still love their parents.

Often times these children, that are victims of abuse, are further emotionally harmed by their removal from their homes and can develop attachment disorders and behavioral issues. With the help of good foster parents, casa or guardian at litem workers, these children will get the care and counseling they need. In addition to removing abused, neglected or abandoned children from unstable homes Child Protective Services also oversees interstate placements and adoptions of children. They may mandate therapy of counseling for the children that have been abused or removed from their homes.