Comments
Reynard1981 t1_is6iwmg wrote
As a single white father, I too feel your frustration. My 2 children 4 and 7 are both being neglected and abused by their mother and the people who live in her house. My children come home to me with bruises (not from playing), my son now looks like he has been malnourished, and my daughter has been sexually assaulted. Every case I report has been “unfounded”, including the bruises on my 4 year olds back that were claimed to be “shadows”. CYS doesn’t give a damn about children at all.
CatOfTheDecade t1_is6m8n4 wrote
> my daughter has been sexually assaulted
Please contact your local rape crisis center. They work with, but independent of, other local organizations and can ensure you daughter doesn't "fall through the cracks".
Reynard1981 t1_is7jxvs wrote
I have, CYS was contacted and an “investigation “ was completed. Her mother had her lie to protect the culprit and CYS concluded the investigation to be “unfounded”. This is at least the 3rd time that I know of that something has happened to my children in that home and CYS fails to do anything about it.
CharacterBrief9121 t1_is6uug2 wrote
County? I can give you some numbers for direct contact depending on county. Side note call CCBH and move through them, if you have state insurance they are the mental/behavioral arm of state insurance. You can bypass cys this way and get a social worker to check in with them in a way cys would not.
Reynard1981 t1_is7kqtp wrote
My children reside in Lebanon country as of right now. I don’t reside in the same county but I must go through Lebanon because I’m already fighting for custody. I have been a SAHD for 5 years and left her twice with them because she physically abused me (yes, women can physically abuse men) especially when she held a knife to my throat and cut my head open with an ice scraper.
I now report every case through Hershey medical center emergency any time my kids tell me what happened when I question abuse.
CharacterBrief9121 t1_is7pk40 wrote
Sorry I only know more about north central pa. I would recommend calling a state rep though. I would start there, someone in their office should be able to provide or direct you to the right resources.
Keinichn t1_is71647 wrote
> CYS doesn’t give a damn about children at all.
They'd give a damn if the mom was reporting the issues and blaming you though.
Reynard1981 t1_is7l22o wrote
Guaranteed if roles were reversed, I would have lost my kids on the first report. PAs judicial system is extremely sexist against fathers.
klauskervin t1_isbgz1d wrote
PA family court is a nightmare.
Bird_Brain4101112 t1_is6n6ad wrote
Wow!! This is the polar opposite. Mine was a bunch of BS complaints over normal childhood injuries. In your case, this is the opposite. Failure to act with justified cause.
susinpgh t1_is6qn82 wrote
I am so sorry, I hope the best for you and your children.
NerdyRedneck45 t1_is6k9jb wrote
Those last two lines really sum it up. This is such a huge issue and we need way more support for families.
I do really want to push back on the idea that all “unsubstantiated” reports are wrong though. When I was a teacher, I had some really ironclad cases of child abuse that couldn’t be substantiated by the agency. There’s nothing worse than knowing what’s going on and not being able to do anything about it. Had some real dark vigilante thoughts, which is part of why I left the field. (Along with poverty pay, no support, and everything else everyone is aware of.)
Unique-Public-8594 t1_is5to0p wrote
TLDR:
In 2014 the law about mandated reporting changed to include more mandated reporters and bigger penalties for not reporting resulting in a flood of cases.
This hasn’t helped the most severely abused (because their case workers are overwhelmed) and has led to an increase in unsubstantiated/dismissed claims and children removed from their homes unnecessarily - effecting the poor community most.
What prompted the change was an Assistant Football Coach stating (during Sandusky’s trial in 2012) that he had seen Sandusky molesting a child ten years earlier but never spoke up.
bad_n_bougie69 t1_is6gcje wrote
So the answer should be to properly fund the department to vet claims and serve the truly abused?
This sounds like an excuse to push shit under a rug
WhereDaHinkieFlair t1_is7vqzm wrote
"'Properly fund...?' Aww hell no!" -Republicans
psdancecoach t1_is83fsd wrote
That only applies to things with kids. Now if we’re gonna buy the state cops a new tank…
bad_n_bougie69 t1_is8fz6m wrote
True, no amount of funding fixes a corrupt system if people aren't held accountable, look at Baltimore's education budget
HeyZuesHChrist t1_is7wczl wrote
The reason these laws were created to begin with would not have stopped what happened that caused these laws be created.
curatedaccount t1_is6x7hr wrote
>“Just report,” said Williams, now executive director of the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance, which supports victims of child sexual abuse. “If you are not sure, report and let the professional screen that out. Don’t try to become a social worker.”
Sounds like: "Just call the cops, if you are not sure, call 911 and let the professional screen that out. Don't try to become law enforcement."
It's tone-deaf and ignores the fact that the person you're calling in might not be a 'professional' by any stretch of the imagination and often ends up causing more harm than not being involved.
Don't call the cops on anyone you wouldn't want to see laying dead in the street at the hands of a low IQ maniac with a gun.
Likewise don't call CPS on anyone you don't want harassed or having their kids taken away by "just doing my job" social workers.
If you're okay with those outcomes, by all means, report whatever.
psdancecoach t1_is83ajc wrote
It’s giving, “If you see something say something” vibes.
Speakslinux t1_is86uxw wrote
I really have to agree with the main headline of this. Because my wife and I happened to be in the hospital at the same time a few years ago, the school called because it was considered "child abandonment", yet our teenage son was more than capable of taking care of himself. I'm a mandated reporter because of my position within the community and am so damn frustrated with our current system.
Those that should actually receive complaints are ignored. This past summer our neighbors literally placed a padlock on the door to the refrigerator which they kept in their bedroom along with all the other food. Their children were so neglected it was terrible and the roof was leaking in all the bedrooms, and the floor was rotted away in another. It took us entering without the parents permission (we brought pizza for the kids). Their piece of shit parental units were out getting high and crushing and inhaling prescription medications. The local police department would not do anything about it no matter how many times we reported it because they felt the children were fine. A 9 year old that only weighed 31 pounds? I mean is was painfully obvious. The kids were beaten by their parents when they were found with a can opener eating stuff out of cans..... OMG I am still so furious at our system...
Bird_Brain4101112 t1_is5zcy3 wrote
I have had more unfounded run ins with CYS than anyone I know. I was a black single mom (currently no longer single) with a toddler I was so careful about my son getting any kind of regular bumps or scrapes because it meant a new report to CYS. When my son got older aka the teenage years , those shifted to police reports. All unfounded and all quickly cleared.
I was black and single but I wasn’t poor which probably helped resolve my situations quickly. By that I mean I didn’t have to worry about anything that might make them take second looks. I can easily see how that could spiral if the house was messy because you were working multiple jobs, if your cupboards were thin because of lack of funds and any of the other downsides of being poor.