In protracted DCP&P litigation, there are often many twists and turns in the cases. Sometimes, the “non-offending parent” becomes the target of an investigation by the agency. This is common in cases where one parent is substantiated for abuse and the other parent is subsequently substantiated for “failure to protect” the children from the alleged abusive parent.
If children are in the custody of the alleged non-protective parent, any distress by the children is typically attributed to that parent. But is that truly the case?
Is it not harm in and of itself to have the child welfare agency and its many, many individuals (caseworkers, investigators, supervisors and liaisons), the law guardian’s office (with its many investigators and attorneys), parents attorneys and a judge or two, involved in the life of a child? If the child is struggling with the loss of one parent who is barred from access due to court orders in DCP&P Court, does that parental absence not cause immediate harm and trauma to the child? Especially when the child knows the parent has not died but is simply not authorized by the court to see them?
And can we place upon the “non-offending” parent the burden of the children’s emotional stability, when it is the very existence of the “helpers” of the child welfare system that is increasing if not causing the distress in the child?
In my experience, these thorny issues are too amorphous for this to be determined with any degree of psychological certainty. Expert reports are obtained and testimony is provided, which amounts to little more than the “gut reaction” of the expert. Absent a smoking gun such as a child confessing that the “non-offending” parent is berating the child about his/her offending parent, the child’s emotional response are often the product of all that plagues him/her.
Sadly, those involved in the child welfare system often fall into one of two camps – i.e., the child-saver camp and the parent-defender can. Those in the former category would be inclined to believe that child distress is a product of nonsupport by the “non-offending” parent. Those in the latter category are more inclined to believe that the child’s distress is a product of the enormous, oppressive invasion of the child’s life by the child welfare system.
Whichever view is adopted, the opinions on this topic are too significant to be decided by “gut reactions”. That is exactly what happens day in and day out. Consequently, many practitioners advise parents whose spouse has been substantiated to either sever ties with that parent or at least down play the relationship to appease the players in this system who take a predatory stance when faced with a parent they feel is supportive of a parent found by a judge to be abusive.
This post presents no position on the issue, but simply provides food for thought for future consideration.
If you or someone you know is involved in the child welfare system as either a targeted parent or a non-offending parent, contact the Williams Law Group, LLC to schedule a consultation.
