Q&A: Can a CPS Worker Use Scare Tactics?

Question by CATHERINE F: Can a CPS worker use scare tactics?
The CPS worker is calling my daughters, threatening jail, if they don’t testify against us. Stating that my husbands job, shop manager at tire company is a “tweaker’s job”, which he’s been working for them for six years now. How many tweakers can hold any job for that length of time. We relapsed after ten years clean, on a $ 10 bag of meth, now we are being labeled. “serious & chronic substance abusers”, which according to AA/NA isn’t a true statement. She’s also telling/asking our 10 yr old son we are druggies.

Best answer:

Answer by David G
Generally speaking, I’m with the CPS on these cases. However, if they’re threating your daughters with jail…well, that’s probably nonsense. (Unless we’re talking about adult children, who might be culpable if they’re concealing evidence of a crime…which may be technically true if there’s meth involved.)

As far as the fact that you don’t like the way a CPS worker choses to characterize your husband’s job, or your drug problem…these are largely subjective labels. (It’s going to be hard to make much of a case over terms like “tweaker’s job”, “chronic”, and “druggie”.) That said, you really might try appealing to a higher authority to get your case reassigned, on the grounds that this worker has prejudices that get in the way of her working with you. This has mixed levels of success depending on your local office. (They may or may not have someone else to offer you, and that person may be better or worse.) But, the fact that this woman is badgering your children this much, makes a good case to at least try.

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