Child Protective Services (CPS) doesn’t just show up randomly- a report is made to CPS by someone alleging some form of child maltreatment as CPS defines it. This person needs to have enough information on you, your child or children and your whereabouts to provide to CPS in order for a report to be accepted for investigation. This could be any that knows you or your family (directly or indirectly) or is involved in the life of your family or any individual member of it. Because each of these individuals could report you to CPS alleging child maltreatment, each one represents a risk. Some may be a higher risk than others, but collectively, these potential reporters to CPS represent what we call your CPS exposure footprint.
The CPS exposure footprint is a theory developed here at CPSprotect Consulting Services is designed to assess the likelihood of a report being made to CPS against anyone in a given family or household. While a report to CPS is possible regardless of CPS exposure footprint, reducing it does make it less likely and the less likely it is, the more peace of mind you can enjoy to parent your child(ren) as you see fit.
There are certain categories of individuals in the average family’s life that make the most substantial contributions to your CPS exposure footprint. Let’s take a look at them:
Mental Health Professionals
Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, clinical social workers, mental health counselors, substance abuse counselors, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, ABA therapists and more are all mandated reporters of child maltreatment. Whether they’re providers for a parent, child or sibling, if they hear or see something that could possibly be interpreted as child maltreatment, they are required by law in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to report it to CPS- even if there is an alternative explanation. If they fail to report and something happens, they could lose their license to practice or even be prosecuted. Therefore, each of these professionals involved in the life of a family member raises your CPS exposure footprint due to the intimacy of the professional relationship, what may be discussed and their status as mandated reporters. If you want to reduce your CPS exposure footprint here, use coaches when possible.
School Staff
School staff are major reporters to CPS and if your child is in a public or private school, this remains a substantial risk and one that you as the parent may have less control over. When taking into account their cooperative relationship with CPS through a memorandum of understanding, this can be a significant issue. Developing strong relationships with your child(ren)’s teachers and administration is extremely important to reduce the chances of a report to CPS. If you want to reduce your CPS exposure footprint here, consider homeschooling or even homeschool pods. This can almost or entirely eliminates school staff from your CPS exposure footprint.
Medical Professionals
Medical professionals are also mandated reporters. This includes, but is not limited to: doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, EMTs and paramedics. if they hear or see something that could possibly be interpreted as child maltreatment, they are required by law in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to report it to CPS- even if there is an alternative explanation. If they fail to report and something happens, they could lose their license to practice or even be prosecuted. Therefore, each of these professionals involved in the life of a family member raises your CPS exposure footprint due to the intimacy of the professional relationship, what may be discussed and their status as mandated reporters. This is especially true of your child has a rare disease- and even more so if that disease is considered a medical mimic of child abuse. Unfortunately, medical care isn’t something that can be avoided, so relying less on urgent care and emergency room visits and more on choosing providers you can trust that you develop strong relationships with can make all the difference in reducing your CPS exposure footprint.
Ex-Spouses or Partners
Those who are divorced or have broken up with a non-married partner (whether you share a child with them or not) is always a risk. This is especially true if there’s a fight over custody. Any conflict or otherwise raising the temperature between you raises the risk of a CPS report. At CPSprotect Consulting Services, we’ve seen exes get that petty. If you share custody of a child with them, try to keep any contact as civil as possible, while keeping any conflict to a minimum. If you don’t, try to avoid any contact between them and you or your child(ren) at all. This can also help reduce your CPS exposure footprint.
Nosy Neighbors
Nosy neighbors who have nothing better to do or with whom you have a conflict (property, home improvement or otherwise) will sometimes make reports to CPS in an attempt to scare you into backing down. These reports are usually done anonymously, making it even more difficult to hold them accountable for such reports made in bad faith. In reducing your CPS exposure footprint here, try to minimize conflict with neighbors when possible and if conflict cannot be minimized, consider either moving or taking other preemptive measures toward mediation- including legal action before a report is ever made to CPS.
Disgruntled Relatives
Relatives who don’t like you, such as in-laws or a sibling of a parent with whom the relationship is rocky at best may report you to CPS, too. Make sure you are very careful to keep these relatives at arms length and keep any interactions as cordial as possible with an emphasis on conflict avoidance. Reports made by sources like these cause some of the deepest wounds- even if the allegations end up being unsubstantiated and the case is closed in a matter of weeks.
Others in Your Family’s Life who Just don’t like You
Others such as parents of your child(ren)’s friends, others in your local community such as your church/synagogue/mosque/temple, neighborhood and other acquaintances can also report you to CPS. While this group is typically among the lowest risks to your CPS exposure footprint, it is still a group that affects some families and should be taken into consideration regardless. Remain diligent about the relationships you, your children and anyone else in your household have and continue to assess that risk. Breaking off the wrong relationships before something happens is crucial to keeping your family safe, intact and to minimize risk of potential trauma.
There are some who say there’s nothing you can do to avoid a CPS report. While that’s true that you can never guarantee a report to CPS won’t be made against you, there are things you can do to minimize the potential risk. To fully assess your CPS exposure footprint and customize your family’s strategy to your specific location and needs, meet with one of our expert child welfare consultants. It could be the difference between a happy family and the termination of your parental rights.