Child Protective Services (CPS) has refined the process by which it interviews families over the more than a century that organized Child Protection has existed. This is one of the main methods CPS has at its disposal to gather the evidence needed to substantiate allegations and if deemed necessary, take further action. There are many different types of questions CPS asks designed to make interviewees feel safe to open up and to provide as many details as possible. If you have more to say, CPS is ready to listen…until they meet the standard of evidence they need to substantiate the allegation(s)- which, depending on your state, may be the credible evidence, preponderance of the evidence or clear and convincing evidence standard. That being said, what are these questions CPS asks and how can I recognize them?
Open Question
An open question is any question that cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ The most common type of question asked by CPS investigators, it invites the interviewee to contribute detailed information. Many parents will go on tangents and may reveal more information than they intend to. Examples of open questions CPS might ask include: ‘How is discipline of the child(ren) carried out in the home?,’ ‘What do you like to do for fun?’ and ‘Walk me through the child(ren)’s typical daily routine?’
Closed Question
Closed questions are simple questions that have two possible answers: ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ As they do not elicit as much information, CPS tries to limit its use of closed questions. Examples of closed questions CPS may ask include: ‘Do you have any diagnosed medical or mental health conditions?,’ ‘Are you available for a meeting on [insert date here]?’ and ‘Do you consume alcohol or drugs?
Indirect Question
Indirect questions are asked when CPS is looking for information that, if asked for outright, might not be received well. Therefore, the information these types of questions are intended to elicit does not reflect the way they are worded. For example, if CPS is looking for evidence of domestic violence, they might ask: ‘describe your relationship with your spouse?’ or if they’re looking for evidence that a bruise on a child is due to abuse, they might ask: ‘How do you discipline the child(ren)?’ Because CPS often asks questions that are uncomfortable to answer, these types of questions are commonly utilized by CPS.
Direct Question
Direct questions can be open or closed, but are more transparent than indirect questions, as the information they’re meant to elicit is exactly what is asked for. Examples of direct questions include: ‘Can you please sign this consent form so we can review your child(ren)’s medical records?’ ‘May I check the bathroom?’ and ‘Can you tell me your understanding of the situation?’
Leading Question
A leading question is any question that is designed to elicit a particular answer. Leading questions are most commonly asked when the CPS investigator already has the information and is looking for corroboration from the subject or is seeking your oral acknowledgement of the existence of a safety concerns CPS has defined. Examples of leading question include: ‘Why don’t you tell me about your view of the events that led to CPS being called?,’ ‘do you think letting your five year old daughter walk home alone from the park is safe?’ and ‘how do you feel your son’s ADHD affects his day-to-day functioning?’
Affirmation
Affirmations are not technically questions, but are often used in strengths-based approaches to point out where a family is doing well and get a subject to be more cooperative. Examples of affirmations include: ‘it is so amazing how you get all of your children ready and off to school every morning while getting ready for work. That must be hard as a single parent, ‘You’ve built a strong social support system in your family, friends and neighbors’ and ‘That’s really creative meal planning you do with your kids!’
Reflection
Like affirmations, reflections are not technically questions, but are instead summaries of what a subject has said in the CPS investigator’s own words. Reflections are meant to ensure clarity in communication and promote feelings of validation in the subject. After all, if the CPS investigator interprets what you said differently than you intend, that could have real consequences.
The types of questions CPS asks are designed to promote comfort in speaking freely and to offer as much opportunity as possible for interviewees to do so. In essence, it is a false sense of security with the potential for profound consequences ever present. In the sea of fear that is CPS involvement, it’s easy to get lost in the moment and forget how refined the interview process is in CPS cases. When you as an interviewee get lost in tangents, CPS gets more information and very often, information you didn’t intend to provide at all. This is how a simple allegation can blow up into something completely different from the initial report. When CPS shows up, they’re not just investigating what was alleged; they’re looking at any and all aspects of safety for potential concerns. If you keep the focus on the allegations at hand and are mindful of the information you do provide, CPS has a lot less to go on and you have a much better chance of successfully navigating your case to the best outcome available to you.