I touched on this in another post but I want to get some opinions about it. If someone called department of children and families (DCF) or Children's protective services (CPS) on you would you get angry or would you see it as a blessing in disguise as it does prove their are people that care about your child's well being. Now I would see it as a good thing because that means there are people who care about my children enough to get involved and see that they are safe. One can always call anonymous and not get involved and that is what it is for. If you were to See a child being abused verbally or physically would you step in make the call that could save them from being beat or even killed?
Child abuse is not the only things they handle they also handle elderly abuse.
If you were to over hear someone tell their child they were not worth a bullet or see them hit them closed fist would that be enough to make the call? If you even suspect abuse you should make the call after all it will not cause harm if nothing wrong is being done. I am the first person to call when I suspect abuse because I look at it like if they are being abused then I am saving them from further abuse and if they are not being abused then there will be no harm caused. I have seen people get upset at being investigated but why? the investigations are for children's safety and what possible harm can come from that?

Always a pleasure

I wanted to add that sense I do call and report abuse anytime I suspect it is occuring I have had them turn around and call and report me. To retaliate agisnt me I have had DFC in my home on more than one occasion and it does not make me angry in the least, even though I know and DCF knows it was done out of revenge I have no problem with them coming in my home and seeing that my children are safe. As I said the department knows me well and I always insist they come to my home when they get a complaint.

Always a pleasure

In the US a child dies every 2 miniutes from abuse

Just curious.. how often are you suspecting abuse?

I have a friend who has been terribly inconvenienced by this from her vengeful sister in law who called CPS on them. It has very stressful for them, and their case has been very mishandled so I find it odd that you sound almost like you enjoy having them come to your home. Maybe its the fact that DFC and you KNOW that it was done out of revenge and you can easily prove this. (Wow, how many people have done this to you out of revenge?) My friend has had nothing but hassles from them, which is odd as she won't as much as raise her voice to her kids.

I'm just telling you because if you are so ready to call DFC when you suspect abuse (I'm not sure what makes you suspect - you didn't say), if you are wrong, just know that you are likely causing harm to the family, undue stress, and discomfort for the children.

Just a thought you might not have realized. You may be looking out for the best interest of the kids, but at what cost?

Also, I guess it doesn't matter to you, but word travels fast in small communities. That would be a tough one to live down, if innocent.

Edit - punctuation.

Meant to address this also... yes, if I saw a child hit other than on his backside, I would call. But other than that, it is a very difficult scenario to discern so I wouldn't readily act on suspicions (see my post above) as I can see what erroneous suspicions or false accusations can do to a family.

You would have to be specific as to what you consider suspected abuse for me to be satisfied that you aren't just calling on every whim. That really concerns me.

I really could not say how many times I have called but to tell you the truth every time I have gotten involved there was abuse present. I am not saying if you see a mom yell at her child or a dad who spanks is child public ally. I am talking about kids who wonder around the neighborhood looking for food or drink because they don't have any and their mom is asleep in the bath tub or the child who goes to school with your son having a sleep over takes his short off and he has bruises and burn marks in his back and stomach and the child who at the park who hides because he ""has done something really really bad and does not want a beating""
The really bad thing hes done...lost one of his shoes. DO I need to go on here. I mean we are not talking about the crazy lady who calls every time she hears someone yell at a child I am talking about real abuse very real provable abuse. I am sorry for what has happened to your friend regarding this I truly am but I would report my own sister if I thought for one minute that her children were being abused! Children have no one to help when they are being abused by the very people who are supposed to love and protect them so it is mine and everyones responsibility to protect them. I am fine with them seeing if my children are safe and I have nothing what so ever to hide and if the neighbors have a problem well that is theirs and not mine. Child safety is more important than what the JONES"" have to say about me. I have had them in my home twice for retaliation and they treat the investigation just as they would any other. If someone calls them out of revenge or any other reason except for child safety the person calling can get away with that false call just once after that they will be prosecuted and can be sued.
How can you say I am happy about any of this??? Thats so wrong I am never happy that a child is being abused!!!!!!!!!!!
I could care less if the neighbors down the street think I am a bad mom because they came to see about the saftey of my kids I think you worry to much about what people think instead of the most important thing and that is the children.They have no reason to know they are in the home unless they tell everyone! They are very discreet when they are investigating and if nothings wrong no one even knows they were there, I assure you there are cases where it does go wrong and good people are hurt but this just like anything else has bad apples in it and they will be caught sooner or later. Also I will continue to LOOK OUT FOR THE BEST INTREST OF THE CHILD AT ANY COST! Tell me what cost do you see being enough to keep a child from harms way? What cost is enough to keep a child from being beaten tonight for losing a shoe or a child being hungry because his mom used all the money on drugs,Tell me at what cost do these kids have to endure this pain ans suffering because of what the neighbor may think or people like you who thinks the cost out weighs protecting a child in pain?
At what cost,undue stress, and discomfort ,???? That disgust me. Let me tell you something I call when I suspect see hear abuse but it is things that I see and hear that cause me call and I do not take lightly the fact that someone could be innocent. When I do call I KNOW some kind of abuse is taking place. That is why when I do call they take my call so seriously because I have always been proven right! This is not about being right or go It makes me so sad and rageful that I am right. Oh how I would love to be wrong and children not be abused but we BOTH know thats not the case as a child is abused every single second of the day every day!
Children who are abused by their parents, Children who are killed by their parents Google these and then lets talk about COST!

I do know there are people who do call for many reasons other than suspected abuse and some call just to be calling say for spanking a child in public or yelling at a child things we would see a repulsive but not really abuse. Those people are the people who need to understand they are taking time away from the children who really need help that are in real pain! Many don't know this but if you make a false call about someone that is all you get is one!If someone makes another false claim on the same person they can be prosecuted and sued.
I do not take calling on someone lightly if I call it is because I KNOW there is abuse going on and most of the time provable physical abuse. I do not call on EVERY WHIM and that angers me me that you assume that about me. I do not go around messing with peoples lives like that as I said call when I know something wrong is going on.
The last case was that of a mom who was mental and the family dog layed in the moms bed dead for a week and the kids has not been fed in three days and the baby had not had a diaper or clothes in that time. The dad had bought a radio and was bragging when his kids were starving and without ANY type of hygiene! So before you go off assuming I am making these calls on WHIMS why don't you get the facts straight!!!!!
The first call I made was concerning a 12 year old girl who was being held and raped daily by her step father. I always look around me and see things that other people may not see, in this case I was visiting a friend and seen the girl and started talking to her and come to find out she had been reported missing by her mom who could not thank me enough!! We are still in contact as matter of fact. I even helped one mom get her kids back by helping her and teaching her things she did not know. She has her children today and is a wonderful mom so don't be so quick to pass judgement!!

I am one who refuses to turn a blind eye or if I suspect abuse I keep on checking the situation out until I know one way or another. We were out of town last week and at a hotel and there were these two kids and 4 that kept running up and down the halls so I asked them to take me to their room so I could tell the Mom/dad whoever that the doors to the outside were open and it was close to a major hwy well it seems that the dad went and left them so he could ""run up to the store real quick"' So I kept them until the police came and the dad comes back and IS SO ANGRY that I called because he said he would be right back and that hey nothing happened to them and he was yelling at the kids for leaving their room because he says he told them not to leave the room . they were from out of town too!
Whims you say?????

Yes whims. I see that you are very passionate about it, but the manner in which you were speaking left me with a sour taste in my mouth. I am glad you are particularly careful, now that you have clarified it.

To further press my stance on this, I have another very close friend of mine who is also going through false accusations (intentional). She also wishes to take in a foster child. Guess how great her chances of this are now?

So to repeat, because I'm not sure you read it right as seemed offended by my words, but thank you for clarifying what your criteria is for suspecting child abuse.

On the flip side, we have cases here of repeated reports of abuse, wherein the child remains in the abusive situation and is further injured and/or dies from neglect or abuse. It is an imperfect system, to be sure. We, as whistle blowers, observers, parents, caregivers and social workers, etc need to be very careful.

It would anger me if it wasn't truly happening. Otherwise, I'm guilty as proven.

I have called DHS (Department of Human Services) on a family for negligence. Unfortunately, they sent a social worker out and nothing was done. Here is why I called:

-I'd seen things for weeks, first off. I didn't call on one slip.
-They would leave the house, or stay inside while their toddler played in the street. Very few people in our neighbourhood obey the speed limit signs as it is.
-Their eight year old son raised himself, and it was a well known fact.
-One day, I caught the children playing with a broken window and broken glass. Their mother was no where around and no adults were within sight.
-Their mother was a well-known meth addict.

If you think someone needs called, make sure there's evidence and proof.