DHS

A friend of mine had someone call DHS on her. It was very unfounded, but the police came and spoke with her and she had someone from DHS come and speak with her. Her husband was in Iraq at the time and she has three children. Anyway, it worked out just fine - DHS realized that there was no reason for intervention, and they just dropped it. But it made me realize that there are people out there who desire to harm. I have another friend who worked in the District Attorney's office and below is her e-mail to me regarding the situation.
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It is my thought that the DHS worker will see the report for what it is & not do anything. She may offer your friend some services (which would be voluntary), but that’s probably it. They are required by law to look into certain reports (some reports they can just screen out, it depends on the allegation). The worker will probably talk to her, the children & take a look around the house. I would tell her to be cooperative with the worker & it might be a good idea to provide the worker with a list of people the worker can call as references (the more independent the better)—if you feel comfortable vouching for her then tell her to give your name & # to the worker.

DHS investigates many reports & most of the time they do not remove children without good reason. If the worker decides a child is at risk of harm & they think the child needs to be removed, they discuss the case with a supervisor & then they have to get one of the District Attorneys to review a Pick up Order & then the Pick Up Order has to be signed by a Judge. (My note: Someone can't just walk into your home and take your children without a court order.) When I was at the DA’s office, I did have a Judge decline to sign the pick up order. When the kids are removed, they are taken to a shelter. The next day there is a hearing in front of a Referee (mini judge). He decides if the kids can remain in custody. It is very rare for the referee to return kids at that hearing, but it has happened. Once a child is removed, it is a long process to get them returned that can take several months up to years. If the parents don’t do what is court ordered, the state can move for their parental rights to be terminated.

That is a really brief synopsis of the court process. DHS workers are overworked & underpaid & b/c of the high level of stress, there is a very high turnover rate. Let me know if you have any more specific questions about DHS & I’ll try to answer them. When I was at the DA’s office I do not recall seeing very many instances where I thought kids were wrongfully removed. More often, I felt DHS should have done more in some cases to protect children.