UNCHECKED IMMUNITY
Immunity, a legal doctrine that protects government agencies and employees from being held responsible for the consequences of their official actions. This protection is granted for the purpose of ensuring government workers can serve the public without legal retaliation for every mistake. CPS has been granted extraordinary immunity that far exceeds that of most public agencies, allowing them to remove children from their homes and to take actions that profoundly alter the course of families’ lives without consequence.
Child Protective Services should not have more protections than our children.
ABSOLUTE IMMUNITY
Absolute immunity is a legal doctrine that fully protects government officials from being sued for damages based on their court-related actions, even when those actions are wrongful or violate someone’s rights.
Make false allegations in a petition to remove children from a parent
ABSOLUTE IMMUNITY CAN EMPOWER CASEWORKERS TO:
Intentionally mislead the court with reckless or biased testimony.
Withhold exculpatory evidence that would prevent removal or restore custody
QUALIFIED IMMUNITY
Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects individuals from being held personally liable for the harm they cause while performing their job duties.
​
QUALIFIED IMMUNITY CAN EMPOWER CASEWORKERS TO:
Blame a victim of domestic violence for abuse inflicted by someone else
Ignore or dismiss proof of innocence, even when it clearly shows the allegation is false.
Conduct biased investigations driven by personal opinions rather than facts.
SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY
Sovereign immunity is a legal principle that protects the government itself
from being sued without its consent.
SOVERIGN IMMUNITY CAN EMPOWER CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES TO:
Deny parents access to services that would keep children safe at home
Keep children in unsafe foster placements where they are abused, neglected, or trafficked
Illegally separate children from their parents without court orders or sufficient cause
Fail to supervise or discipline workers who repeatedly violate families’ rights
Fail to reunify families even after all court-ordered requirements are met
Suppress or alter internal findings, hiding systemic failures from public view
We can not allow an agency with dominion over our children to evade accountability.
GREAT POWER SHOULD COME WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.