Child Protective Services Question/Answer: Michigan Files Chapter-1: “Bunkum and Balderdash.”

bal·der·dash

ˈbôldərˌdaSH/

noun

noun: balderdash

1. senseless talk or writing; nonsense.

   "she dismissed talk of plots as “bunkum and balderdash.”"

    

    

   April, 2015:

    I was working with a family earlier this year with the following basic background information related to the case:

    

   Day-1:  3rd grade girl gets to school, teary eyed and rubbing her leg.  Staff questions girl about tears, rubbing her leg telling staff that a parent struck her in the morning before school;  child describes a scenario where her and her two other siblings (4-yr boy, 7-yr old boy) while getting ready for school, an argument occurred, a brush was thrown, the parent was working early in an office room, enters the room where all children were crying.  Child states the parent hit her in the front leg area, rushed the kids into the car to get the children to school on time, and she was upset because the parent did not allow her to finish combing her hair.  While in the office, the child was asked to show where she was hit, and a report was written.  CPS was called, a photo was taken by a male ward, the two children attending that particular Elem. School were interrogated immediately, as were two other children living in the household (the 4-year old) and another 15-year old ASD-non-verbal-CI ADHD Special Needs child, but I was never clear when exactly those two interviews took place.  The incident occurred on a Thursday, but the parents were never informed of anything that happenned until a CPS business card with the words "Please call me immediately" was found  on the doorstep under a door matt sometime that weekend, and although confused called as the card stated immediately.  A meeting was arranged for the parent interviews the following Monday, where the parents were informed of the report, the accusations etc. 

    

   Day-2:  The initial CPS investigator showed up that Monday as scheduled to interview the parents, when the Father of the children was informed that he was the accused, therefore the interfiews were to be conducted separately.  Specifics of the reports were presented, questions asked and they were told that phase one was finished, that they would look over the information and envidence etc.  they would make a final report to be turned in to the head supervisor, who would then read their report then a decision would be made.  The word Substantiated was used again, and explained to mean that if the Supervisor "substantiated" the accusations it was to become an actual case, but even worse there was mention of a Detective return with him at the next meeting due to the criminal nature of the accusations (so he explained to the Father), and he told the parents he would get back with them as soon as possible.

    

   Day-3:  (6-days later from initial incident) The following Wednesday the Father wars told the Accusation was going to become a Substantiated incident of "Physical Child Abuse" due to something about "High-Risk", but more devistating to the Father was that he was to be registered in the Child Abuse Registry in the State of Michigan, the very day he was hired to finish the year as a Teacher after 1- 1/2 years of being Unemployed.  He cried on the couch a while obviously devistated expressing his disbelief, unsure of why this was happening to him.  The agent explained best he could stuttering and mutterings of  words that pieced together basically that the two children when asked if they were spanked answered yes, that the girl said the Father spanked her the morning of the incident, then showed the father a tiny picture on his iPhone of her leg from that morning with a measuring tape extended to the number "2".  The father was very upfront about the spankings, the system used for it, explained the infrequency, the level of disobedience and the reasoning for need, as well as reiterated his 10-years of teaching, years of education, including a master's degree in bilingual education, repeating again and again, stating again that on that morning he didn't even remember striking his daughter that day and had to correct the agent's recollection of the daughters story, after suggesting that the father had thrown a brush at the daughter then hit her after that, when what actually happened was that the daughter had thrown the brush at the 4-year old which was why all the children were bickering in their room when he came in from the office. Regardless, he was told his only recourse was to write to his supervisor request a reversal and why within One-week and go from there.  They apologized to the father that the Detective was absent for the meeting, but he had called about so it it could be good. 
   

    

    

   Day-4:  The previous visit ended with the explanation of the crime, but more importantly the recours, and the end to phase two of this case was to end.  Furthermore, the family was assigned a Family Councilor who was to monitor the family unit, identify any immediate needs to support the Family unit, 3-times per week for an 1-1/2 hours per day for 3-months The family minus mom was introduced to the Councelor, she explained her part, more papers were signed and summer was on its way.  The councelor informed the father the same information for clarity and to keep him positive: that the Detectives absence is probably good meaning, the City Detective probably took it to the City Attorney (the boss that decides such things and concluded that CPS could handle the case.  If CPS considered the case closed, then the Court would consider it sufficient. Family Counceling Agency accompanied the 2-CPS wards to  ,