(no subject)

[austin_tycho]

This day is fired.

I almost got into a shouting match with a caller... basically, an arrogant ass who's worried because his daughter who lives with his ex-wife is showing signs of stress; he thinks he shouldn't have to lift a finger to help her, but wants CPS to rush right in. He can kiss my harry yellow butt, to quote Homer Simpson.

And I'm still sick.

And, just for the record, I think it's perfectly reasonable for a guy to wank in the shower, but it seems irredeemably disgusting when a guy pees in the same shower. I know urine is sterile ("...you can drink it!" -Jack, Fight Club) but that's still nasty, y'all.

Comments

[starcrossedlady.livejournal.com]

gah. I hate people like that.

I have to admit to something. I'm kinda scared about the whole CPS reporting thing. I don't want to cause people running around and wasting resources and time if my instinct is off :/

and wanna have some green tea with me? We can zone out on the couch and sniffle.

[burgundy.livejournal.com]

I've never been in the position of thinking I needed to report someone to the appropriate protective services. But I'd much rather be responsible for a false alarm than allow a dangerous situation to continue. And who knows? For the borderline cases, maybe an investigation will be a wake-up call. Doubtful, but possible.

[starcrossedlady.livejournal.com]

You know... that's what I'm hoping for....

and that's what the professor and others have been saying. It's not going to be a big deal if you are off the mark, CPS won't swoop in and take away every child that's been reported abused, you won't be outed to the people you report...

but :::shrug::: part of my raging paranoia is that someone's going to find out.

but then, I'm not going into this for me :::wry smile::: so I should adjust my thinking ;)

[mielikki.livejournal.com]

Just for a little insider information... and while I can only guarantee that this only applies to Texas CPS, I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same in other states too.

The hardest thing about taking calls is the fact that we have to go by a codified, specific definition of 'abuse/neglect' that doesn't always match people's personal definitions. So we get tons of calls where the caller suspects (or is absolutely convinced) that abuse is going on, but if it doesn't meet our guidelines we have to refer them to someone else. I use the line 'I personally agree that X is being a bad parent, but that doesn't mean they are being illegally abusive or neglectful' all the time. I actually like these calls, because it means the situation is not serious enough to require CPS intervention, which incidentally means I have to do less work. :) The only downside is when someone insists CPS do something (these calls are often by vindictive parents who've split up and are trying to get each other in trouble) when we can't.

If there is some question, depending on how serious the allegations are we might investigate even if we're not sure there's abuse going on. Sometimes we just make a note of suspicious situations and save it in the computer, without investigation (but available if we get further calls on the family). In any event, the state doesn't remove the kids unless there is some serious threats to their safety- they will try other options (counseling, etc.) if they think those will work.

In theory, all reports are confidential and the worker is never, ever supposed to reveal who made the call. But sometimes it's very obvious who called, since the caller might be the only person who would have had that information. I have heard that the worker slipped up and told them who called, but I doubt that happens very often; the family might just guess, too. In Texas there's always the option of making an anonymous call, but if you tell your name then say 'I want to be anonymous' then it's too late; we can't erase information we've been given. For one thing, the investigator might want to call you to get more info. But you can always just not tell them who you are in the first place and you'd be anonymous. The only time we trace calls is when it's a suicidal caller.

[mielikki.livejournal.com]

We'd much rather get calls than not in situations where you're not sure- better safe than sorry. If it meets guidelines, it'll need to be investigated even if nothing's going on. We decide if it's investigatable, you only have to let us know what's going on (or what you expect is going on). More below.

And thanks for the green tea... I'm feeling much better today! :)

[fulguritus.livejournal.com]

i can assume then that you two aren't into, um, watersports then?

hehe.

pee can be pretty smelly too :P