It was like the monster in the closet, the bogeyman waiting in the shadows to snatch me away if given the chance.
My parents had stepped a little outside the established System and therefore were at risk of being flagged by the ever-present menace. I knew this from a very young age and I was afraid.
As I grew up the fear lessened a little, especially once I was past the snatchable age of 18: but with the birth of my own children and the increase of CPS's overreach - and ability to gather information - that fear is back.
The only way I know to stop fearing this kind of enemy is to be aware of two things:
1.)The power of my allies (Ally, principally)
and
2.) The exact nature of the enemy
Here There Be Giants!
Goliath the giant was famously defeated by a young shepherd with a stone (and his own sword, but the stone put him down first). Most people know David the shepherd as a giant killer but overlook the reasons he succeeded. David didn't kill Goliath because he was a young Superman. He really was just a normal, slightly scrawny kid. But his Ally wasn't. David knew his Ally...and knew his enemy. He knew he didn't have to fight Goliath, but that God himself would defeat Goliath if anyone stepped forward with the faith that Goliath was God's enemy.
If we want to take out the CPS Goliath, we have to do the same. We need to know our enemy and we need to know what strength we have to overcome and defeat it.
As I've been reading Family Protection posts over the past few months, I've come to realize how little I actually know about the CPS Giant. I don't know how it was born, how it was raised or how it's fed. Like every monster, it has a weak point which could be used against it; but the only way you find that kind of weak point is to examine the beast carefully.
To regulate CPS (and other institutions like it worldwide), it's birth and maturity has to be understood. What philosophy underpins it's existence? What legislation brought it into being? What history went into it's acquisition of power? What funding holds it in place? What are the pillars keeping it from collapse? What alternatives are there to take over the legitimate work currently under it's oversight?
Whose Children Are They?
Richard Gelles, an American writer and socialist active on the college scene, wrote this in his revolting (and ironically-titled) "The Book of David: Preserving Families Can Cost Children's Lives":
"The essential first step in creating a safe world for children is to abandon the fantasy that child welfare agencies can balance the goals of protecting children and preserving families, adopting instead a child-centered policy of family services...The policy of family reunification and family preservation fails because it assumes all biological parents can become fit and acceptable parents if only appropriate and sufficient support is provided." (i.d. pg 148-50)
This kind of thinking is a nutshell of what families are up against in the fight to keep and raise their own children. It's the kind of thinking found in academia and seats of government across the world. It's the philosophical underpinning of the Child Protective System.
The Burning Question
How did people wanting to save children develop this destructive mindset?
That's what I want to find out. I believe the answer to that question holds the clue to how to stop this child-snatching monstrosity loose in our communities. It's the key to the weakness that could help us defend our families and save our children.
I want to assemble and present several posts detailing what I've discovered in my current research. It's just scratching the surface and I hope to learn more as I delve into different aspects, especially if others who have deeper knowledge chip in with experience and commentary. The strength of a Family Protection kind of community is to educate and strengthen each others' understanding.
Know the Enemy. Let's explore the history of the CPS giant and learn how to defeat it.
This post was inspired by the important work being done by @familyprotection, administered by @canadian-coconut and @markwhittam. Please consider reading, upvoting, resteeming and donating to @familyprotection if defending against CPS is important to you!
Photo Credit: Bible.wikia
are using "Child Protection Agencies"
to take children away from loving families
and place them in foster care or group homes
or put up for adoption.
THESE FAMILIES NEED PROTECTING.
Thank-you @lturner for supporting @familyprotection
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where r u from?- the US?/UK?
UKcolumn has a daily broadcast you tube (1pm mom fri)
They are fighting cps in the UK on many fronts. Well worth a listen and dig into their website if you want information on the UK (only) cps..
Yes, @lucylin everyone should check out Brian Gerrish and the rest of the UKcolumn crew, no matter what country their from =)
Been watching these guys for years now and have gained a wealth of knowledge from doing so.
...it's the only UK news that has bearing to reality, isn't it?
I emailed them today about joining steemit/using dtube
Sometimes I wonder...news organizations can be such a hit or miss proposition here, at any rate! I from the midwestern United States, though as I'm looking at the relevant legislation I'm discovering there seem to be versions of the same general framework in other countries such as the UK. There are small differences depending on what each country determines to be the basic rights of citizens, but generally what's amazing is how eerily similar everything is from country to country.
I'll have to check out the broadcast!
@lturner this work is on the right path. Knowledge and understanding is key.....where many posts so far have been the story from the 'victim' or their friend. And these stories are important for bringing up awareness of a serious problem.
I support @familyprotection 100%, but one side that has been bugging me is that 'the monster is out to destroy your family'. I believe that many CPS workers enter that work for the right reason. I also know first hand that government 'enforcement' work tends to warp people. There are certain qualities of it that bring out the worst in people. In brief, my opinion is, many of these 'enforcement' jobs should never be career jobs. Two to five years is the maximum time most people can healthily endure before they become substantially warped.
Back on focus to my point here..... Sin and evil does exist in this world. Many parents do a poor job at caring for their children. And a horrid percentage (0.50 - 5.0%) actually abuse, neglect and harm their children. So in theory, a 'protective' agency sounds reasonable and necessary. But in many cases something goes wrong. Power, perversion, ignorance or fear is causing or allowing the workers of these agencies to do more harm than good.
I hope your 'big picture' analysis can construct a fair and useful understanding for us as Steemians, community members and society members. Good luck and looking forward to your work!!
I'm hoping so as well. I do actually personally know people involved in the system, but what I'm witnessing is the monster of the system which tends to swallow even what good people try to do within that framework. It absolutely does bring out the worst in people, much worse than even the cynicism that affect police officers; seeing bad things does bad things to people.
The problem as I see it is the philosophy driving the system itself. The whole thing was set up to counter legitimate outrages which should be stopped: there really are people out there who do terrible things to their children. But the Child Protection System has lost it's way and at this point is corrupted to the point that I'm not even sure it can be saved.
Whatever the case, I believe the beginning of restoring some sanity is to roll back and regain control of a system that's currently out of control. There are actually already legal remedies available that have been legislated in the United States but never implemented and I personally think that's a good place to start, especially since there are people ready and waiting to take part in those solutions.
Thanks and hopefully I'll be able to show the evolution of thought and philosophy rather than just attacking anyone on a personal level, which is not what I want to do!
I do look forward to your future posts on this subject. I know how the system works (and doesn't work) here in the U.S. but know little of how it is approached in other countries. Only a short while here with @familyprotection has brought to light that the problem is world wide and an issue that needs addressing.
It may not be that CPS has lost it's way but more like it has been directed in such a way that as you say "I'm not sure it can be saved.
A steemian posted a few days ago about how child protection used to operate in the beginning. It appears it was more conducted through private charities within communities rather than funded through the government. Many do not relate marketing tactics to social service agencies, but there is certainly a lot of it that takes place within the higher level of government that oversees these programs.
I recently posted on the Buchanan Bill that has been signed into law here in the states. It changes the focus for CPS from removing children to better serving the families and leaving the children in the home. It is a good first step, however, until it is made public few will realize this is something that needs to be challenged when CPS knocks at the door. Big changes take considerable time to reach the network of agencies and then training time for all staff to become accustomed to the changes. It does however give us a window of opportunity. Sad that mainstream media is not focused on reality these days and most likely will not be sharing the information with the general public.
Steem on my friend, it is a battle of good vs. evil. Am following you so as to hopefully not miss your upcoming information. Thank you for taking this on.
I haven't run across or heard of the Buchanan Bill, although that is great news. I'm adding it to my list of topics to dig into!
If it's a refocus on families, it would be a roll-back to pre-1974 policies since it was after legislation in the mid-70s that the official CPS focus became "the child" instead of "the family". You'd think it wouldn't be a big deal for Child Protective Services to focus singly on the child, but the legislation was apparently influenced by the whole philosophy I highlighted in the Richard Gelles quote: that families and children are not essentially linked and biology is not what investigators should be trying to accommodate when considering child removal.
This whole thing is so much part of the broader picture wherein we're all being cut loose from the ties that anchor and strengthen us: our families, our marriages, even our gender now. The mental and physical anguish this loosey-goosey treatment of essential biological truths such as children are generally best raised by their blood parents is playing havoc with our entire society.
Here is more info from a post I made a few weeks go. There is a link directly to the bill on there. @richq11 was looking into it more. Only 2 big concerns with it at this point. It does dish out additional funding to expedite adoptions which is a bit worrisome. The other concern I have is that something good seems to take a while for those effected to catch up. The gov. really should make a point to send announcement asap to all CPS agencies and family courts. https://steemit.com/fullyinformedpublic/@vickiebarker/u-s-president-signs-buchanan-bill-aimed-at-keeping-families-together
Thanks and will read up! @richq11 has been working on this whole information quest for the past few months, I notice, which is what initially sparked me to start reading history. I realized how little of it I knew!
Expediting adoptions...yes, that's a two-edged sword. On one hand, if a child really was taken from an awful place, getting him or her placed permanently as soon as possible takes away the limbo situation so many foster kids are caught in. But it also means that innocent parents are more likely than ever to lose their kids because the process happens so fast they don't have time to respond or stop it.
Another thing going for us is the intent of the bill is readily available. Not only throughout the bill but in the press release so it can be used if/when challenged. Yes, @richq11 is very helpful in so many areas. Well, there are many good people here on this platform, I am continually impressed.
I do also have to say...as one of Sander Levin's constituents, I get suspicious that he's involved in the Buchanan Bill. Sander is not...exactly...someone I highly trust with family freedom and individual rights.
Well that is curious too. @richq11 raised suspicion that Carl Levin is involved and although he is no longer there, I think Sander is his brother? This is certainly a law to watch and see how they roll it out. We must persevere in our diligence at this point, we have little choice otherwise. The world is turned upside down and Agenda 21/2030 is still moving ahead at every turn.
You are so right on the mark. The jobs in social work can cause "burn out", and when staff get to that point they have a choice to make. Drop out of the game, fight within the system to change it (which usually leads to unemployment) or succumb to the hardening of their own personal convictions of the heart that eventually comes. Unfortunately most case workers are complacent in their choice to stay because they feel they can't walk away from a steady income that not only provides their needs but offers benefits, security and the prestige they feel by having control over others. Also, they know if they leave that position the system will simply fill it with another.
I read both your comments, thank you!
Looking forward to your next posts. Yes, it is crazy to think of fighting the Goliath known as CPS, but we do have to remember Who is on our side. And remember that He is ultimately in control. But fight the system nonetheless.
Exactly. David didn't defeat Goliath: God did. But God waited for someone who knew who He was to walk out onto that field. And David needed to understand that Goliath wasn't insulting or fighting him, but God. That's why he said, "Who is this heathen Philistine to insult the living God?"
I kind of feel this might be a similar situation. Knowing the giant should put it in perspective.
Thank you @lturner.
I really like this post, and I look forward to your compilation of the posts you have learnt most from.
Feels great to have you on our side!
Thank you and likewise!
The hardest thing to do is look at the massive pile of information and make some coherent sense out of it...
I have never been concerned about CPS before I started reading all these stories on steemit. Our county actually has a really low rate of children up for foster care, which is good. But I’m still thankful to learn any info, should a worst case scenario ever come up.
It's good to be in a pretty safe county (ours is way too active for my liking...): it's also good to have some information should anything happen. One thing I've noticed over and over is that if people had more information about what they were facing, a lot of things would be different in many of the Family Protection stories. It's our sadly misplaced trust in the system and our own innocence that can trip us up in this arena.
the problem is that the social structure forces people into submission and induces low self-esteem... so in my view addressing the surface without rooting out the core issue has little chance to be fruitful. People want change but won't necessarily will want to look within themselves for the long term answers. Reason as why our dystopian society is getting worse by the day.
I blog a lot about this and yes, my blog is not too/enough popular because of this
Right - we have some core philosophy problems that are causing CPS to have the kind of power it has. Problems as a society, anyway, though not necessarily individually.
I can imagine you have some pushback - have you ever seen the Prager University video talking about evil versus insanity? The basic point is that we have a tendency to look at things in terms of sane and insane instead of good and evil so we think if someone isn't insane they can't be evil and if they do something evil they must be insane. But completely sane people can do very evil things. If we let our mindset be evil, it doesn't make us crazy: it makes us evil.
Now there's a popular viewpoint for you...
right... my favorite example is war, a legalized mass murder... how evil is this? How evil are the pro-war lawmakers? Yet most dont even think of standing up against it.
if you are into metaphysics, look for Jarrod Schneider, he can expound on good vs evil is a way that is astounding.
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No kidding! Except the worst part is that it's a terrorist organization which many of it's members don't realize when they join. It does the opposite of what good-hearted people really want to do: make life better for kids.
United a community can do great things.
A good writeup. You're a great writer
Thank you!
Knowing thy enemy is half the battle. Great work, and thank you for sharing!
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we all do not have the same luck, there are those who do not manage to escape either because our parents do not show liquidity to take care of us or another pretext that the social service considers. I, take the profits from my publications to give food to street children, if you want to take a look and get information about psychological suggestions to know what to do in these cases