Skip to content 
The good news is that your child is back home after a long absence due to a CPS investigation. However, the challenge now lies in adjusting to the changes that come with reintegrating your child back into your home after such a period of separation. Your goal is to ensure a smooth and successful transition, making necessary adjustments to create a stable and supportive environment for your child moving forward.
Focus on Your Child’s Health by Learning About the Medical Care They’ve Received
Contact any physician who has treated your child throughout the investigation and request updated medical records at the outset of your child’s return to your home. Determine if your child is still on public health insurance and when the coverage expires.
Find out where your child has been receiving medical care if they have not seen their regular pediatrician during the case. This is important, especially if your child is taking medication that you need to know about. Calendar important dates, such as when medicines will run out or when your child has an appointment with their pediatrician.
The Role of CPS After Your Child Has Returned to Your Home.
CPS will likely continue to monitor you and your family immediately after your child returns home. CPS will visit your home to see how your child is doing and how your home looks. The judge will set up periodic hearings to assess progress and determine if you and your child need additional services. This period can last for up to six months, so mentally prepare yourself for the continued involvement of CPS. Once the judge feels satisfied that your child is safe and you no longer need CPS support, they will dismiss your case.
If CPS finds a problem with your child’s care during these six months, they can remove your child again to ensure their safety. Re-removing your child can bring severe consequences. If CPS removes your child, you must conclude the case within six months, giving you less time to explain to a judge why they should return your child to you. CPS services will still be available, but you will not have as much time to take courses or attend counseling as before.
CPS Doesn’t Have to Be a Constant Presence in Your Life- Here’s How to Move on From Your Case
You likely feel frustrated at this stage, as is common with a Child Protective Services investigation. You grew impatient when they removed your child and disliked attending meetings and court hearings during the case. When you found out that the judge would allow your child back into your home, you felt overjoyed at the thought of never having CPS caseworkers in your home again.
People use the term “repeat offenders” for those who consistently break the law and end up in jail multiple times. The same general concept applies to parents who have become cyclically involved in CPS cases involving their children. I hope you never become involved with CPS again after going through what you have gone through with your initial case.
CPS and Special Cases
Avoid having Child Protective Services investigations as a constant fixture in your life by learning why CPS got involved initially and ensuring their caseworkers will not be in your life moving forward.
If your child has special needs—physical, mental, or behavioral—seek all the assistance you can find to avoid Child Protective Services investigations becoming a fixture in your life again. The same advice applies if you have mental or physical difficulties. When stress exacerbates these difficulties, you may not pay as close attention to your child as needed. When your level of care begins to slip, your health problems lead to CPS involvement, setting you up to get involved in a vicious cycle.
Drug Abuse
Drug and alcohol abuse should be avoided at all costs if you do not want CPS to reappear at your door in a few months. I realize that it is easy for me to type this but difficult for any person dealing with addiction to manage that addiction by staying sober and focused on their parenting. With that said, it is no excuse to have a problematic addiction to manage, which takes over your life and impedes your child’s parenting. Attend counseling and narcotics/alcoholics anonymous courses with regularity. Find support in your family and church.
Finally, consider moving yourself and your child to an area where you have a more comprehensive safety net available to you. If you live away from family who could assist you in difficult times, find employment and housing in a new area so that you and your child are not one missed paycheck from living on the streets. Speak to your family about the possibility of coming to stay with them for a short time while you find work and a place to live that you can afford. These are the people who can make a massive difference between your being a part of multiple CPS cases and being able to raise your child well and in the presence of friends and family.
Remember Your Number One Objective Is to Keep Your Child Safe From Harm
Allegations that you were not doing enough to keep your child safe from abuse or neglect caused Child Protective Services to become a part of your life. The steps that I’ve outlined in the previous section are not to constantly remind you that you have made mistakes or disrupted your life any more than it has been. It reminds you of the child that you owe a great deal of responsibility to.
If you do need to take time to better yourself in rehab, counseling, or therapy of some sort, take the time and effort to ensure your child can remain someplace safe- preferably with a relative. You can stay clean and sober while your child stays safe with a relative. In that case, CPS will not need to be involved.
Likewise, choose your relationships well and decide if you would want to introduce someone into your child’s life. Your new partner may bring people into your home that you do not approve of, but at that point, it may be too late. Decide what kind of people you will want to associate with before you engage in relationships. Your child will thank you for doing so.
In conclusion, transitioning your child back home after a CPS investigation is a significant and sometimes challenging process. It requires patience, understanding, and a willingness to make the necessary adjustments to create a safe and stable environment. By focusing on open communication, setting clear expectations, and seeking professional support if needed, you can ensure a successful reintegration of your child back into your home. This process is key to rebuilding trust and strengthening your relationship, providing your child with the stability and support they need during this important time.
The Law Office of Bryan Fagan
If you have questions for the attorneys with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, I would recommend that you contact us today. We offer free-of-charge consultations with a licensed family law attorney six days a week.
Our attorneys represent clients across southeast Texas just like you, and we take pride in our advocacy and representation of our client’s rights under challenging situations.
Other Related Articles
- Removal of your child from your home by CPS
- Can CPS Remove Your Child From Your Home in Texas Using Force?
- What CPS Looks for in Placing Your Child After Removal From Your Home
- If Domestic Violence Is Occurring in Your Home Can Your Children Be Removed by CPS?
- 3 Things I Should Be Worried About Facing a CPS Charge
- How to Beat CPS More Than Once in Texas
- How Texas Courts Determine Child’s Primary Residence and Why It’s Important
- How a mother can lose custody of her child in Texas
- CPS adoption representation in Texas
- What Are Unsafe Living Conditions for Children in Texas?
