Abuse of Child Protection Services

I recently read an article written by Cecilia Zalkind “Keep public eye on DYFS.

I agree that DYFS plays an important role in protecting the welfare of children. The criticisms and the effectiveness to trust the state to monitor itself.  It is public oversight and the lack of information available to the public has been a source of life changing proportions in my life.

I was married to an abuser for 20 years, we have 3 beautiful sons, twins aged 13, and the youngest is 10.

When I filed for divorce, my former husband was furious.  He moved from the house, shared custody with me being the residential custodian. Things were fine for about a year, the kids were straight A students, friends that would play routinely after school at my home, sleepovers.  I was very involved with their school, I was Library Mother, Class Mother, Art Docent, and worked on various fundraisers for the school.

One day my youngest son was at a block party in town and was in a bouncy bounce play area. He told me he hurt is pinky, I brought him to the emergency room it was just a sprain, but they put a little cast on it.

After about a week or so, the cast was falling off, he was bending his finger and it was very dirty.

When my former husband came to pick the boys up for his weekend visit, he noticed the cast was gone and threatened to call DYFS.

I was unaware of the DYFS investigation involving the school, neighbors the pediatrician.

I found out from a letter 6 months after the event the DYFS concluded the investigation and found nothing amiss.

4 months later, while my children were visiting with their father, I received a note slipped under my door stating that my children were being removed from my home because they had received an anonymous call stating I was picking up my children from school while intoxicated.

I was never allowed to find out who made the accusation.  I just basically crumbled and the best way I could describe it was a nervous breakdown.

I left to see my family in California for help, while I was gone; my former husband hired a child psychologist who wrote a letter to the court stating I had abandoned my children.

Now, I have spent more than 100,000 between legal fees and supervised visitation.

It has been nearly 4 years since I have been able to put my children to bed.

I have no idea what their house looks like, I feel humiliated to have to pay someone to watch be be with my own children.

My anger with the system is that anyone can make false accusations and report it to DYFS for investigation.  The system is being abused by people such as my former husband to use children as a method to gain revenge.  It is a colossal waste of time and there are so many children that really need the system’s help instead of investigating false claims.