OF PARENTS
DESTABILIZATION
When CPS removes children from a non-offending parent who is a victim of domestic violence, it can destabilize that parent socially, emotionally, and economically.This disruption can undermine safety, recovery, and the parent’s ability to rebuild and maintain stability and family bonds.
To truly protect children,
we must protect their true foundation.
IMMOBILIZATION
When a parent reports domestic violence, it is often their first step toward leaving the abuser and building a new life for the family. When CPS intervenes by removing the children from the home and making allegations of “failure to protect” against the parent, it puts this safety plan and hope for a brighter future on hold.
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In many cases, the first 24 hours following an abuser's arrest, while the abuser is held in detention, is the only time a victim is truly safe to leave. When child welfare agencies step in to block their escape, the victim is left at heightened risk of retaliation, witness tampering, or manipulation to return to the abuser.
Ongoing legal proceedings can prohibit a parent from leaving the state, which may interfere with their access to housing, employment opportunities, or family support.
Victims who lose custody due to "failure to protect" are
2X
more likely to return to the abuser due to loss of stability
If the victim does not have ties to the community independent of their abuser, demanding they remain there for months of CPS involvement prolongs isolation and vulnerability.
Before reunification, parents are typically expected to demonstrate their ability to provide a suitable environment for the children. When child welfare agencies require a victim to go through the motions of obtaining housing and employment in a town they have no intention of remaining in post-case closure, they set the achievement of true stability further out of reach. When the new beginnings of family future are postponed, children return to the fragility of limbo.
VS.
The move to stop domestic violence
shouldn't stop victims from moving on with their lives.
STIGMATIZATION & ISOLATION
"Failure to protect" allegations and child remove may lead a victim's community to assume wrongdoing, isolating the parent from friends, family, and social and religious circles.
We should shame the abuse, not blame the survivors.
States maintain child abuse and neglect registries that identify individuals who may pose a risk to children, even when no harm has been proven in court. These systems typically do not provide context or distinguish between perpetrators and survivors of domestic violence, leading to misinterpretations of the circumstances that resulted in the finding.
Once listed, parents may remain on the registry for years or indefinitely, and this designation can block volunteer opportunities, school involvement, public benefits, and housing in ways similar to a criminal conviction.
The choice to end domestic violence
should not extend it's impact.
DISQUALIFICATION & DEVALUATION
When reporting DV leads to "failure to protect" allegation, it can unfairly devalue a parent’s credibility and limit their access to certain jobs, especially those involving children, healthcare, or public trust. Even if the parent was a victim rather than an offender, the stigma can follow them through background checks and professional licensing. This systemic barrier often compounds the harm, making it harder to achieve long-term stability and independence.
Our system fails victims
by labeling victimhood as "failure."
IMPOVERISHMENT
Losing custody to the state can trigger loss of needed benefits such as TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, and housing subsidies, leading to deeper poverty and possible homelessness.
Public defenders appointed in child welfare court do not advocate in custody disputes against exonerated abusers or estranged biological parents who were notified of the CPS case. Costly court fees and legal representation are prohibitive while recovering from the oppression of domestic violence.
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CPS cases often impose expensive requirements such as mental health evaluations, weekly therapy, parenting classes, DV education, and supervised visitation in areas not accessible by public transport.
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The time-consuming and inflexible scheduling nature of CPS case requirements can make it difficult to obtain and maintain full-time employment.
The impoverishment caused by CPS intervention hinders reunification and ensures that when families are reunited, they do so under even harsher economic hardship and diminished stability.
To build victimized families up,
we must not break them down.
PARENTAL IMPAIRMENT
Child welfare agencies educate parents about proper child-rearing techniques while simultaneously preventing them from putting those principles into practice.
Quality
One-on-One
Time
Daily Caregiving
Decision-Making Authority
Communication
Disciplinary Role
Participation in Milestones
Consistency and Routine
Cultural and Religious Guidance
Moral Support
Physical Touch
Educational Involvement
Shared Experience
We do not strengthen parenting by taking away children.
RE-TRAUMATIZATION
A victim who reports their abuser has taken a deliberate step to rise above and move forward to a brighter future. When child welfare agencies respond by removing children from the home and imposing 6-12 months of DV education and continuous interviews surrounding the abuse force the victim to constantly relive their trauma and keep their life centered on the abuse they endured rather than on growth, rebuilding, and recovery.
When the cycle of domestic violence ends,
the cycle of trauma should not begin.