INTERVIEW BY RISE PARENT LEADERS
When you’re investigated by child protective services, you have to make decisions every step of the way. You have to decide what information to share, whether to enroll in services, and, if you wind up with a case, whether or not to go to trial.
You can’t know for sure what will help or hurt your situation. But the more you know about investigations, the better able you are to make educated decisions. Here Jessica Weidmann, a lawyer formerly with the Center for Family Representation in New York, explains parents’ rights:
Q: Why is it important for parents to know their rights?
A: When you’re being questioned by a person in authority, you can think that you have to do everything they say. Knowing your rights can help you understand that you also have power.
But how you exercise your rights is also important.
I’ve had cases that begin in court with CPS describing how the parent reacted to the investigation—by becoming very angry, screaming, or sometimes destroying property. Those reactions often come from a place of frustration and fear. But they can become part of a picture the worker is building of a parent who is willing to resort to violence. How you react to CPS can make a difference in your case.
Read the complete interview here.
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