Asking for a good advice for this situation?

Question

Child Protective Services came to my house because my 3 yr old with down syndrome got out of our house when we were sleeping. They came and check everything out and said that it was an accident. But I am concerned they will be investigating us secretly or having us on the spot. Do you think they will just close the case or keep checking on us?

Answer 1

They might just keep checking for awhile..If this happen again in the next few weeks then you might be in trouble....

Answer 2

Hello Dee, Yes-CPS will (you can almost be guaranteed) come around again, and quite often unannounced, to see if you have done anything to correct this problem.  Please, asap do as "Chiliswoman" & "just Jess"  have suggested and place an alarm system on all of your doors, at the top of the door where, when opened, the alarm goes off. You can turn these off during the times everyone is awake and around to watch your child. This is also a great "babysitter" (guardian angel) for a downs syndrome child. Most of these children are so sweet and so eager to please that he/she just may gladly accept a ride or take off with a stranger who may not have this child's best interests in mind, kidnap the child, and you may never get him/her back. With a Downs syndrome child, you must use the utmost caution at all times because they are so sweet, loving and very trusting of everybody. They basically know no fear, and they don't understand that there are bad people out there. I worked in the nursing field for 20+ years, and we would always have these type of devices installed (the alarms) in a facility where we had Alzheimer's victims for the same reason--they can easily wander off, and they have no idea of where they are going. I'm sure at one time or another you've had an emergency broadcast on your TV news regarding a missing person with Alzheimer's. Please don't take a chance with your precious child. And yes, if CPS does pay you another visit, and they see that the problem has been taken care of, this case should be closed. Best of luck to you and your family.

Answer 3

i would consider myself being placed on noticed.

Answer 4

You may want to look into purchasing some inexpensive door alarms.  We had to do this when my sister with Down's would wander in the middle of the night, sometimes unlocking the door and going outside.

You can find alarms that are battery operated that s***w onto the door and the door jamb.  When the two pieces are separated they emit a high pitched beeping noise.  You could place one alarm on your child's bedroom door and another on the front and/or back door.

Fisher Price used to make an alarm that would go off when it was moved.  This is the alarm my parents used.  They hung it on the front door and when my sister opened the door the alarm went off.  They later used the alarm on the refrigerator door when she began getting into food in the middle of the night.

My friend's who have autistic twins have a doorknob on their front door that can only be used after imputing a 4 digit code.  This keeps their boys from getting outside.

Answer 5

They are protecting your child. Yes, sadly this will put your parenting in the spotlight a bit more. But I would not be concerned. Just put a latch on the door that he can't reach, but an adult can - and that anyone who wants to push the door in in an emergency can easily compromise the latch.

Answer 6

It is their responsibility to check-out things sent to them. They are required to investigate it and you should be glad being a parent of a disabled child. True it is a inconvience at the moment and if no cause 'as they have stated' is found then it goes into the dark filing place unless something is done to bring it back out into the light again. My question is; if you have nothing to be quility for, then you have nothing to be guility about, right????

Answer 7

Whether or not your child had Down Syndrome, CPS will be concerned if a 3 yr old can wander away from the home unnoticed.  They SHOULD schedule a regular visit where they might counsel you on how to avoid such an event in the future, but given the funding and manpower shortages such agencies face, that may not happen.  They will likely pay a visit in a few weeks to see if you have made any changes to prevent another occurrence.  You should take ChiliWoman's advice about adding a latch to the door.

Answer 8

I think you will be fine, it was an accident. The same thing happened to me my son kept going out the house during nap time. A neighbor found him 2x and brought him home. I fixed the locks so it was up high and he couldn't reach it. I don't like that one of your neighbors were probley the reason they came to your house. Thank God no one called on me. This breaks my heart cause good parents like you have to go threw this. Fix the door so the beautiful child can't get out. You will be fine. Don't worry, and please don't trust your neighbors. Best to you and your wonderful family.

Answer 9

It just depends.

If you have NOT received an official closure notice from Child Protective Services (CPS), then YES, you should expect to be in the Child Protective Services (CPS) spotlight for awhile.

If you HAVE received an official closure notice from Child Protective Services (CPS), then NO, you are no longer in the Child Protective Services (CPS) spotlight.

Child Protective Services (CPS) could even make an unannounced surprise visit to your home to see if you have made necessary changes to prevent future occurrences of your child going out of the home unnoticed before they do officially close the case if Child Protective Services (CPS) do officially close the case.

If and when you do received a official closure notice from Child Protective Services (CPS), then the paperwork on your case will be destroyed.