The Underground World of CPS

The Underground World of CPS
by Heather Hoover, published on July 21, 2010 at 4:43AM

Storyline: Child Protective Services (CPS)
Community Tags: child protective services children cps department of health and human services family family court politics sacramento county
It is amazing to me all the road blocks that Sacramento County CPS puts up to make it nearly impossible for a parent to assert their rights and fight for what is rightfully theirs--their children. In the past four years I have seen, heard, and experienced things that would ignite fear and furor in Americans…if only they knew about it. However, these actions of which I speak are closely guarded under the cloak of confidentiality that hides Juvenile Dependency Court and involuntary child custody proceedings from the public. At first guess, you assume that this so-called “confidentiality” is in place to protect the children in these cases. However, it doesn’t take long for a person to realize the protection is not for the children but rather the protection of CPS and their corrupt policies and actions.
The actions of CPS thrive in a underground world where warrant-less search of a home and seizure of a child is common practice. A world where due process rights violations occur on a daily basis. A world where a child can be removed from the home, detained, and placed into protective custody simply because there is a potential for abuse. Even if there is no history of abuse, sign of abuse, a witness to the abuse, or admittance of abuse. Within this hidden system the parent's and the children's rights are concealed and when a parent finally realizes their rights it’s too late and their child is gone forever. This well run factory shuffles families in and out daily in robotic fashion without real care or concern for children, parents, or extended family members.
Court-appointed attorneys argue cases with the judge, come to an agreement, call in the parties involved (children, parents, others that have the ability to intervene such as a Native American Tribe), and then call the case. Parents are forced to make split-second decisions without informed consent and sometimes the court-appointed attorneys will make decisions and motions without the parents' knowledge. These court-appointed attorneys will out-right refuse their clients requests and/or motions. This is clearly ineffective assistance of counsel which should afford you the right to a Marsden hearing. However, that right is usually denied too. If a Marsden hearing is actually had, the judge can choose NOT to release your attorney, NOT appoint you another attorney, and can even choose NOT to allow you to represent yourself if you so choose. In essence your stuck with an attorney that refuses to represent you in your best interest.
http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/33240/The_Underground_World_of_CPS