The part of any CPS case that you or any parent look forward to the most is when the case comes to an end. This is the long-awaited stage of the case where all of the time spent being concerned with the future of your family will be determined one way or another. Rather than having to worry about what is going to happen with your children and whether they will be removed from your home, you will have some degree of Peace of Mind knowing which way I judge is going to decide. With that said, the difficult part of this discussion is knowing when the case is over with. I have worked with many families who have gone through CPS cases and received that there is confusion about whether a case can be picked up again by CPS or whether or not it is closed out for good.
We are going to discuss how you can know whether or not your case is officially closed out by CPS. However, I would also like to spend some time discussing with you what factors in circumstances CPS will look to when determining whether or not to close out a case. As with many things in life, we may be interested in when something is going to occur. However, it is the why behind that when which will tell us even more about your case. For that reason, let's jump into today's topic and discuss why it is that CPS may say your case is ready to be closed out.
A CPS caseworker Reviews your child's case and decides whether or not it is sensible for you to expect your family to be removed from a CPS case. First, CPS will determine whether or not whether you and your Co-parent have both displayed a willingness and inability to use one another in times of need for your family. This is one of those basic parenting tests that CPS will look to determine whether or not it is time to close a child case. Your desire. Coparenting is one of those things that in actuality makes your life easier but may not be the simplest thing for you to employ in your life. There are many factors at play in this regard. These factors would be the difficulty associated with getting over past harms or even beginning to trust your Co-parent. As a result, co-parenting may not come easy to you at all.
However, CPS looks at Co-parenting as being a specialist when it comes to the Wellness of your child. If nothing else, you and your Co-parent act as checks against one another from the standpoint of acting poorly or not in the best interest of your children. With that said, you should expect that CPS will look to determine whether or not you and your Co-parent have displayed not only a willingness but a commitment to Co-parenting. If you have not, then you should not expect your case to be closed out based on this factor alone.
What efforts have you made to address concerns that were identified during the investigation regarding cases of abuse or neglect? This is a circumstance where you will be judged in terms of your willingness to directly come back to the issues that led to CPS becoming involved in your child's life. If a CPS investigation went on for more than a week or two then it is likely that significant instances of abuse are neglected curb. Or, at the very least potential concerns for abuse or neglect were addressed directly by Social Security. With that said, a CPS caseworker and supervisor will examine what sort of steps you took towards seriously evaluating your need for intervention when it comes to risks of abuse to neglect.
For instance, if a member of your household was a concern as far as using our neglecting your child has that member of the household been removed? If your anger has been cited as a specific cause for concern have you addressed that concern by attending counseling or any other kind of therapy or supportive services set up by CPS? Having participated with the family-based social services for safety plan as set forth by CPS, your attorney and? These are the sort of basic circumstances that will be looked at to determine whether or not CPS is ready to close out your case. Hopefully, you have been participating in updating CPS on any progress made in your life in that of your child.
Along the same lines as our prior point, CPS will look to determine whether or not you and your Co-parent have made any changes that were deemed necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of your child. It may be something as simple as your child living in a home where there are risks of harm through dangerous conditions. For example, I've seen people who have nearly had their children removed from their care due to is shoes existing as far as a firearm being left out in the open. Your situation may be as simple as purchasing a gun safe and keeping the gun in that safe out of reach of the child. CPS will look to whether or not you were capable of following through with something this simple.
Or, we could be looking at a situation where you word ensure that an adult would be at home with your child after school rather than allowing your child to come home after school by him or herself. Again, reasonable minds can differ as to whether or not your child can take care of him or herself alone after school. However, if the state of Texas has determined your child is at risk of harm as a result of being left alone by themselves then you are better off making plans to have someone available. That could mean hiring a babysitter, working with after-school activities, or some other option given your circumstances. At that stage of a case, it is not proper or smart for you to ignore any input provided to you by CPS. The more receptive you are to their advice the more likely you are to be able to have Your child returned home to you safely and to have your case wrapped up.
what sort of plan does your family have in place when it comes to dealing with future circumstances involving threats of abuse or neglect against your child. Every family should have a plan in place as far as what you all would do if your child is put in a risky situation. Ideally, your plan would involve removing any risks of harm, to begin with, or at least doing what you can to minimize the risk of harm. This may mean different things for different families and given your circumstances a plan for your family may look different from a plan for your neighbor. However, I think we can all agree that having a plan in place is better than failing to do so.
Do you have a support system around you? I think it is essential for every family, no matter their circumstances, to do their best to build a community around them that can support them in the event of problems. For example, grandparents, ones, uncles, neighbors, family friends, people from church, and other persons who have a trusted place in your life are all suitable in terms of being able to care for your child if need be. Sometimes all you have to do is ask. CPS with a game plan as far as what you all will do in the event of a problem with your family makes a ton of sense. Failing to do so you are not taking this responsibility seriously and they cause your case to last longer than need be. Rather than put yourself in a position where you lengthen a case that it is not necessary to do so think instead about how to shorten your case through proper planning and community building in your life and that of your children.
CPS needs to determine whether or not you and your Co-parent have communicated your plans to the support system but you haven't placed them. For instance, if you plan to have your uncle or aunt act as a caregiver for your child or as an accountable person for your family in the future but have not communicated that to your family member then you are doing yourself a disservice. Not only does it leave a difficult position in terms of having to adjust to the needs of your family without being told out there placing your crisis planning but it also shows that you are either not willing or not able to think ahead and use communication skills. These are two important life skills that we have talked about throughout today's blog post.
To be short, having periodic meetings with people that are in your Child's life is a great plan not only for you but for your family. Make a tremendous difference to your family for you to be able to a column in times of need. Specifically, it can go a long way towards building trust with family members and showing them the importance they play in the life of your child. Most people are extremely willing to work with you and to play a vital role in the life of a child who is in need. However, you need to be able to communicate that to these people rather than assuming they will fill the role without first being asked.
Being aware of the needs of your Co-parent CPS when it comes to being ready to close out a case. For instance, so when signs of trouble appear for your Co-parent as far as your mental health or ability appearing your child that concerned? One of the major issues that parents tend to have about their children is only looking at themselves and their children when it comes to issues regarding safety and development. However, you also need to look upon the role of your child even if this does not come naturally to you.
Again, CPS is not asking you to insert yourself into the lives of your Co-parent. They are also not asking you to concern yourself more with your Co-parent than you do with your child. However, you are the first line of defense for all feature harm to your child. Unfortunately, the CPS case is shown that even up here it can be a source of harm to a child. As a result, you need to be able to identify the potential harm to your child in the form of bad actions by a Co-parent. Learning how to identify potential signs of abuse or neglect and to help your child avoid those circumstances is a telltale sign of growth when it comes to improving your skills as a parent.
This one may seem obvious to an extent but CPS will of course need to determine whether or not your child's basic needs are being met as far as the essentials of life. Let's walk through what the essentials are as far as CPS is concerned to help you determine what areas you need to focus on as you move forward with your case towards a hopeful conclusion. Again, the circumstances of your family may differ from many others but I can tell you without much reservation that there is the focus of CPS regarding your case and most any other that comes across the agency's attention an oversight.
Is your home a safe place for your child? A home is where your child will spend the vast majority of their period as a result, the agency will want to make sure that you are taking every precaution understood necessary to ensure the safety of the home. Safety in the home depends upon the home itself and its physical condition, the atmosphere of the home in terms of an environment conducive to growth and development as well as helping to keep the home a safe place in terms of physical harm.
Dangerous conditions should be removed from the home. Oftentimes this means that basic household repairs can be performed to remedy issues regarding safety. Fixing a broken step, a leaky roof, or putting the aforementioned gun in a gun safe can make a world of difference in the eyes of CPS. Likewise, if there is a person in your house who poses a risk of harm to your child that person needs to be removed. Failure to do so may result in the elongation of the CPS case or the possible removal of your child permanently. There isn't much in terms of the life of my child greater in terms of importance. He won't want to readily ensure that your child is safe at home.
Next, does your child have the food and clothing necessary to have their minimal, basic needs met? This one is pretty self-explanatory. Food means being able to have three meals a day. No one is asking for you to become a chef but you do need to be able to ensure that your child has food and water at home and that you can provide your child with meals each day. There are many opportunities to take advantage of subsidized lunch and breakfast programs through your child's school. You should look into these programs and help ensure that your child has access to them that is a need for your family.
Single parents should have access to Medicaid in Texas. As a result, not having insurance available for your child is a major issue in the eyes of CPS. Should work too sure that child has a primary care doctor it is receiving necessary care. Simply having your child signed up for Medicaid if he or she is eligible is a good place to begin. Otherwise, Where your child cannot be returned home all that quickly before these changes are made.
After a CPS case, you will receive a letter from the agency telling you whether they close your case or not. This letter will come to your home address within 90 days of the investigation's conclusion. Once you receive this letter it is a good indication that your case is done and over with and they will not consider your case as open any longer. However, to receive the best advice to be positioned as well as you can it is highly recommended that you contact an experienced family law attorney in Texas.
Questions about the material contained in today's blog post? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan
If you have any questions about the material contained in today's blog post please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. Our licensed family law attorneys offer free of charge consultations six days a week in person, over the phone, and via video. These consultations are a great way for you to learn more about the world of Texas family law as well as how your family circumstances may be impacted by the filing of a divorce or child custody case.
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Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas CPS Defense Lawyers
The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding CPS, it's important to speak with one of our Houston, TX CPS defense Lawyers right away to protect your rights.
Our CPS defense lawyers in Houston TX are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC handles CPS defense cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.
