When a child is removed from the home, regardless of how long they have been away from their family, research demonstrates that the effects are detrimental and permanent. The removal process traumatizes both children and parents, forever changing their lives.

This article[1] published by the University of Michigan Law School explains that all too often, children are removed from their parents without taking into consideration what effect it will have on both the child and parents or whether it is even necessary. The article states that since 2009, children have been removed from their parents on more than 250,000 occasions each year.

According to the study, many of the individuals involved in the removal and placement of children in foster care are insufficiently trained or not formally trained at all. Moreover, the requirements to remove a child often are not well defined as each state has its own unique requirements and guidelines. Understandably, this leads to much confusion, inconsistency, and lasting harm to children — children that such policies are ostensibly designed to protect. In fact, the article cites one study which found that 25% of former foster care children experience or have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. 

When CPS unnecessarily removes a child, even temporarily, it can wreak devastating effects for the child, the parents, and the whole family. For this reason and others, even parents who know they have done nothing wrong should be cautious about interacting with a CPS investigator without the involvement of an attorney.

Read the entire article here: “A Cure Worse Than the Disease? The Impact of Removal on Children and Their Families”