Referral for Family Law CPS Attorney
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Anonymous
| We need a referral for a family law attorney based in Maryland who specializes in child protective services. We've had a ton of behavioral issues recently with our teenage son who was discussing recent family dynamics with a school counselor. The counselor then reported the issues to CPS - suspecting there might be an abuse situation. We now need a good CPS attorney who can help us navigate this stressful situation. Thanks in advance! |
Anonymous
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Why do you need a lawyer for this? Are the family issues severe enough that you believe you might lose custody of your son? If a family hired a lawyer to act as an intermediary with CPS that would be an alarm bell.
What do you think the lawyer will be able to do for you? Do you want them to advise you of how to explain things and what to say to the worker? |
Anonymous
| That sounds incredibly stressful OP. Hang in there. |
Anonymous
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Not consulting a lawyer after a CPS visit is an even bigger alarm bell.
I don't know why some of you all do not realize that CPS investigations are not supposed to be routine and referrals are not supposed to be casual. They have the power to take your child from you without much oversight or appeal. It's not a parking ticket where the worst case scenario is a small fine. The power that CPS has is more consequential, on an individual basis, than either Congress or the President. It's a very serious matter regardless of the validity of the referral. All it takes is one bad mid-level bureacurat to permanently destroy your life. |
Anonymous
For your family's sake, don't listen to this idiot. People hire lawyers to represent them in traffic court and to prepare them for immigration interviews. There is nothing fishy about hiring a lawyer in this situation. |
Anonymous
OP hasn't said that the allegations are false. They said their son was discussing recent family dynamics and the counselor (a mandatory reporter) reported. OP hasn't said that there will be an investigation, home visits, etc. OP hasn't given any indication of WHY they want a lawyer other than the son has behavioral issues and the situation is stressful. OP did not say they think the report was mafe too casually or unnecessarily. Sure, OP might genuinely need a lawyer if they have a criminal record, past allegations, use illegal substances or have other past history that indicates likeliness of abuse. CPS doesn't want OP's child. They will use due process to determine if the allegations are true or false and if true, were they illegal to the point to warrant removal. What do you think a lawyer is going to do about that? If the lawyer is to prepare OP and their spouse to lie or hide things, you really think that's good for their kid? When CPS gets involved, it's about the child's best interests, not OP's. How many judges have you sat and watched during child custody trials? I've observed and participated in many trials where children were victims of abuse, as file support arguing on behalf of the children. Out of all the judges I've observed, I don't know any that would see this as a positive act (as prioritizing the child's best interests). Again, OP did not say the allegations were false or made incorrectly. Think about what kind of lawyers would take a case with true allegations. Lawyers like that use tactics, not truth. A lawyer like that makes more mess, not less. The stakes are very high to remove kids. If OP needs to know their rights during a CPS investigation, there are many ways to do that, one of which being hiring a lawyer to consult with along the way. That is absolutely appropriate diligence. Hiring a lawyer to act as an intermediary, which is what I was commenting on, is not the same thing. |
Anonymous
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Does the counselor have kids? Is the counselor an experienced counselor or is newly graduated?
In general mandated reporters who are just starting out and don’t have their own kids tend to see things in black or white while mandated reporters with kids see many situations in a different light. |
Anonymous
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I’ve had similar happen with a younger child which did lead to a CPS visit but nothing came of it. Lesson learned, no more school counselors or other do gooders.
If the teen is misbehaving and otherwise causing the family trouble, some CPS involvement might be a good thing. Teen learns the lesson, even if they are temporarily removed they get foster care benefits for college (but they won’t be removed because there was no abuse). All in all, it’s much ado about nothing but don’t use school counselors again. They are inexperienced and are trying to cover their necks at all costs, always over reporting |
Anonymous
Um, OP asked for a lawyer to "navigate this stressful situation." Which is the same as the bolded. |
Anonymous
| I would try Rene Sandler if you are in MD. I don't know if she is licensed in other jurisdictions. If she can't help, she may be able to refer you. |
Anonymous
Totally agree with this. Op- these people are mandatory reporters, and if your dc has behavioral issues, it’s not shocking your family was flagged. Keep in mind most of these people over report. Technically they have zero discretion. Cps handles abuse cases, and isn’t interested in wasting time on cases like these but they have to check them out. I do think you should google ‘cps support services’ and try to find a local contact for free support. There’s one where I live in NYC but ideally you’d find a local org. You can certainly talk to a lawyer too but it’s not necessary. 1. CPS are investigators. Give them info but don’t overshare anything bad. If they ask for vax medical records, as example (something they’ll ask for to check to see your providing care), get the records yourself and send them; don’t offer to do a full HIPAA waiver. 2. Be nice and friendly. Offer a glass of water. Explain to them your dcs mental health struggles, your efforts to support them. They will probably suggest family therapy at most. GL. |
Anonymous
This is way way alarmist. And most of what you say is simply not true. |
Anonymous
Exactly. We had a therapist who was older and experienced and understood family dynamics. No issues. We later moved to a new provider and the provider was much less experienced and said they had to report. The rules are very strict so I see why she did it but it was still frustrating. But all in all, totally fine. I know people who work in CPS. they know most of their cases are false flags. And unlike what the person above said, they have strict rules to follow and don’t just find random abuse and take kids away. The risk to families who aren’t truly abusive (and I mean real abuse, not the stuff that passes for abuse among this privileged group) are: poverty related issues that can look like neglect (mom leaves kids to work bc she can’t afford a sitter) and drug related issues. Absentism used to be a driver too (educational neglect) but since Covid, that seems to be less of a focus |
Anonymous
If it got to court, sure. Hire a lawyer. But to have a lawyer step in now, no way. To chat with one as background info, sure. There are free orgs who can advise but a lawyer ON BACKGROUND is fine I suppose |
Anonymous
People like you should be banned from responding to chains like these. You are an embodiment of how knowing a little about something is worse than knowing nothing at all. |