Anybody else see this trend in social services

[TrogL]

I've been hearing several cases where social workers have become involved with families for no particularly good reason. The family involved has no particular strikes against them except perhaps they are single-parent or there's some sort of dispute with school authorities. Suddenly their kids are taken away from them and put into foster care.

The pattern - the "real" problem with the kids original family is apparently that they aren't Fundamentalist Christian, but the adoptive families are. Fundamentalist Christian families are allowed to have all sorts of problems (sexual and physical abuse, abandonment, addiction and alcholism) and social services does nothing.

Anybody else seeing this where you are?

[phylny]

1. I'm not seeing this at all.

As a mandatory reporter, what I *AM* seeing is a lot more kids in a situation where they're not being fed properly, not being nurtured, where parents are struggling to maintain patience due to economic pressures. These pressures and these things may provoke a call to a child abuse hotline.

Here in New York State, I know that the effort is made NOT to split up families. When I have to call in a report on a family, I'm always so worried the kids will be taken away and end up in someplace WORSE. However, the law requires me to call when I suspect abuse, and I do.

[aquaman]

2. I am a clinical social worker......

And have worked with kids for over eight years. I live in SC and don't see what you are describing at all. In fact, I often see the opposite. You practically have to kill a child for him/her to be taken out of a parent's home in this state. Economics or family structure does not appear to be a big part of the picture. Keeping a family intact, despite sometimes being quite a sick family system, seems to be the goal of this state. Sounds like some drastic things are occurring where you are because I have never heard of such.