When people think of services offered by child welfare agencies and their partners, they think of services like domestic violence counseling, psychotherapy, parenting classes, care coordination and more. What they don’t think of are the strings that could be attached when services are offered through child welfare agencies; these are commonly known as prevention services.
Prevention services is a term for a wide range of services, typically provided in-home, offered to families in child welfare cases (although they can also be offered outside of a Child Protective Services case) designed to prevent out-of-home placement of child(ren), often administered by non-profit partner organizations at no cost under contract with the local CPS agency. All prevention services offered are done so in accordance with the federal Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). These services are uniquely provided through child welfare agencies. While they may be court ordered, these are specifically designed (at least on paper) to preserve or reunify a family in a child maltreatment or dependency case and do not have to be court-ordered, nor do they require a child welfare agency to take you to court for your family to be eligible.
Community-based organizations (CBOs), on the other hand, are all other private organizations and professionals that provide similar or identical services and are not contracted by or otherwise affiliated with child welfare agencies, nor subject to the conditions of the FFPSA; there is often some monetary expense, though- either through insurance or out of pocket. Examples of CBOs include psychiatrists, doctors, counselors and therapists in private practice and clinics whose services have no direct financial connection to child welfare agencies. They may be non-profit or for-profit. CBOs differ from prevention services in that they are not exclusively allocated to prevent family separation or to promote reunification in child maltreatment and dependency cases. They may be provided at your expense or at no monetary cost to you, may be covered by your health insurance plan, and may be used in any kind of case (or no case at all) where services are sought or provided. This category of services applies to all services not classified as prevention services under the FFPSA or provided directly by the government in child welfare cases and all services in divorce, domestic violence, child custody or other cases.
Prevention Services do have a cost to you, as well- but it’s not monetary. There is still a price to be paid and that comes from the relationship between the non-profit prevention services providers and the child welfare agencies that contract them. Many of these prevention services providers also provide foster care case management services under separate contracts with CPS. With prevention services, the professionals are coming into your home, the HIPAA confidentiality rules do not apply to communication with the child welfare agency (that communication is built into the terms and conditions a parent signs in order to receive prevention services) and it is a de facto continued involvement of child welfare in your life. Essentially, prevention services providers are an extension of Child Protective Services and are there to ensure you are running your home and raising your children the way the government wants you to- in essence, a literal personification of mother government.
When we think about non-profits, we tend to associate them with 501(c)3 non-profit charities, but don’t rush to judgment; there are many other types and sub-types of non-profit businesses and non-profits can generate revenue from the products and/or services they offer. Many prevention services providers are also foster care contractors and maintain 501(c)3 non-profit registrations under an old sub-classification for prevention of cruelty to animals or children (originally used by the private predecessors of today’s state and municipal Child Protective Services agencies). Non-profit and for-profit are nothing more than broad terms to describe tax rules for legal entities such as corporations, partnerships, charities and other organized entities. These prevention services providers are non-profit businesses and that’s important to remember.
With all of the trauma that occurs due to removals done by child welfare agencies, prevention services may seem like an appealing alternative- especially when compared to removal. However, we must keep in mind the financial relationship between child welfare agencies and their prevention services contractors. These prevention services contractors do not want to risk losing their contracts and the easiest way for that to happen if for them to miss an instance of child abuse or neglect and fail to report it. Therefore, prevention services agencies, as mandated reporters, are highly likely to have a very low threshold for reporting allegations to the child abuse hotline in your state. This means that with prevention services agencies, the risk of a subsequent report is substantially higher than it would be otherwise.
The same financial relationship that exists between the political class and the child welfare contractors who provide foster care case management and other services is the same at play here. Prevention services, like foster care, are funded via federal reimbursement to the state and municipal child welfare agencies via Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. First, the child welfare agencies sign contracts with the service providers. Next, they refer cases to the service providers, followed by paying the service providers. At this point, they request reimbursement from the federal government. Removals are becoming more politically inconvenient for child welfare as lawsuits and protests continue to increase and the child welfare consultants at Heartwork Defense™ report seeing a gradual move toward in-home Prevention Services becoming the norm.
How do you know if you’ve been referred to a prevention service? Your child welfare agency may not mention whether or not a referral they make is to a prevention service or a CBO, but if you don’t have to provide your insurance information, it’s at no cost to you and it involves someone coming into your home on a regular basis, it is likely CPS-contracted prevention services. If not, it may be a CBO. In circumstances like this, we tend to recommend: trust, but verify.
Ultimately, what makes a parent a parent is the authority that comes with the title. A parent makes the rules and teaches the morals that often help set the foundation for their child(ren)’s lives. When you’re walking on egg shells in your own home wondering if you’re allowed to make mistakes any normal parent might could result in another report to CPS and possible removal of your child, you no longer have that authority. You became the nanny or babysitter for your own children, while the prevention services provider sets the rules of your home on behalf of CPS.This is what prevention services takes away from you that CBOs do not.
When it comes to preserving your family and protecting your rights, whether you agree to services with a prevention services provider or a CBO is going to depend on your situation, whether or not you’re in court and whether or not there are other factors at play- such as a custody dispute with an ex-partner. However, in a vacuum, CBOs are going to be the less risky option for most people. Get them in place before CPS does to address the allegations- even if they’re ridiculous. Regardless of your parental rights situation, make sure the CBO provider isn’t biased against your interests- the more proactive you are, the more control you maintain; the more you get tied up in the web of your opposition, the harder is to dig yourself out.