When Authorities Intervene in Child Abuse Cases
What Happens When Authorities Intervene in Child Abuse Cases?
Many years ago, a woman that I had known all my life was raising a child whose biological mother had entrusted her to raise the child. They themselves were friends for many years. The birth mother however, believed that because of her drug addiction, it would be best for Cory to be raised by Regina. Initially, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) signed on and agreed to the arrangement – if Regina adhered to all the rules. It came about however, that while she was renting an apartment in the Pasadena area, one of the inspectors noted that the swimming pool in the complex did not meet DCFS safety requirements, and that if the problem was not corrected, Cory, who was about four at the time, would be taken from her. Despite her efforts to get management to rectify the problem, they did not do so and eventually the DCFS informed her that they were coming to remove Cory from her care. Fearful of losing him, Regina made the mistake of secretly moving to another location. Eventually however the DSFS found where she lived and removed Cory from her care. She was accused of child endangerment and child neglect. The neglect charge was based on the ridiculous claim that the child was undernourished at the time of his removal. I say this because I was there much of the time. Her mistake was not informing DSFS of where she was and failing to get legal assistance in her quest to keep Cory. Nonetheless, never in my life – and this is no exaggeration – have I seen such a strong bond between a highly nurturing mother and extremely outgoing and happy child.
Regina never saw Cory again and she clearly never recovered. Many family members and friends – and that includes me – believe it was a contributing factor to the heart attack that killed her some years later. We believe she died of a broken heart. What makes this even more tragic is that, about five years after Cory was taken, DCFS aired a late-night commercial on children who required adoption. I happen to be watching the piece and, wouldn’t you know, there was 11-year-old Cory, smiling like he always did!
I will always believe that what the DSFS did was a travesty – it literally destroyed a family, all in the name of child safety.
On the other hand, there is the case of Anthony Avalos, the ten-year-old who was physically abused and eventually killed by his mother and her boyfriend, despite the involvement in the case of, not only the DCFS, but also law enforcement and the teachers at the school he attended in Antelope Valley. He was killed in June of 2018 and, for many people his case – and others like his – illustrates the need for swifter intervention in child abuse cases.
Please take the time to reflect on the issues I have raised her. Am I wrong in my opinion that a travesty was committed in Cory’s case? Take a few minutes and look up the case of Anthony and reflect on what went horribly wrong in that case. What should the authorities have done? What can be done to minimize the likelihood of any of these two outcomes?
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