Dear Leonard - and -
Friends of AFRA,
S.N.A.F.U. : S-ituation N-ormal A-ll F-ouled U-p
F.U.B.A.R.: F-ouled U-p B-eyond A-ll R-epair
These two terms are quite common, in the form and function of both Government
Agencies and Huge Corporations. They are used to describe-
- A bureaucracy, possessed of certain loop-holes that allow people to fall through the cracks, is said to be a SNAFU.
- When certain life-long damage is done to people because of those certain loop-holes, and the resulting damage, (damage is irreversible), it is said to be FUBAR.
If this all sounds humorous, it's no joke!
When a child is alleged to have been abused/neglected, it is the duty of a child protection worker to apprehend the child, in his/her best interests, for his/her protection. However, countless times children have been taken and parents lost parental rights because of mere; suspicion, innuendo, rumor, speculation, opinion and just plain gossip.
That is one of the countless SNAFU's that CPS is possessed of.
If a child is apprehended upon the mere suspicion of child abuse/neglect, because in the mere opinion of the caseworker, there may be a mere
likelihood of risk to the child - and then - the child is placed in a foster home where
there is real abuse/neglect, it is quite obvious the child was taken from a home where there was a
potential for abuse/neglect and put into one where neglect/abuse actually
occurred.
What's the Point?
If a parent is suspected of alleged abuse/neglect, the child may be removed from the home, the parents
lose their parental rights and the family may be irreparably damaged, (FUBAR).
However, if a child is abused/neglected in a foster home, and it comes to the attention and the focus of people outside of the Child Protection Agency, it is merely an oversight,
(SNAFU). The agency apologizes and the focus is diverted, "Nothing else to see here, move along, move along".
In a, "Perfect", world there would be no abuse/neglect.
In a, "Just", world anyone responsible for any kind of abuse/neglect would be punished and the child would be removed from the abusive/neglectful environment.
This would punish the guilty and protect the innocent. Isn't that what the, "Law", and its' countless facets is supposed to be all about?
We were recently involved in a situation where a child was removed from the family home because, in the caseworker's opinion there was
potential for abuse/neglect. The child was placed in foster care and forced to go to school, (in winter), in
sandals, because the foster parents didn't have funding from the agency to buy the child proper
footwear.
As a result the child lost a toe, because of frost bite.
When the biological parents complained, supervised visitation schedules were rearranged, unscheduled, and the parents suspended from visitations all together, for
"having missed visits".
There was no real abuse/neglect in the family home; merely a personality conflict between the father and the caseworker.
And I can quite sadly tell you this kind of thing happens all the time. The caseworker felt the need to flex her power and authority by punishing both parents and devastating the family, through child placement.
On the flip side, the child's mental and physical health were permanently damaged due to abuse/neglect in foster
care, and that is something no amount of therapy may ever help a child recover from. The
child is now permanently damaged, but the agency, the caseworker, foster parents, and the system are all
doing---just---fine!
What was the situation for potential abuse/neglect in the family you may well ask?
Well, according to reports, the caseworker attended the family home on a surprise visit and witnessed the father teaching his daughter how to ride a bicycle, with training wheels, but without a bike helmet. According to this worker, this was enough to warrant allegations, regarding the potential for abuse/neglect.
In reality, the father was rather arrogant with the caseworker, and this just plain p_ssed her off. In reality, the father was a bit naive and didn't realize just how much power and authority this woman really had. Had he known this, it just might have humbled him a lot more, the family would have remained together, and the child would still possess all of her toes.
When there is suspicion for even the mere potential for abuse/neglect, the agency caseworker has the power and authority to remove the child from the biological parents and the family home. If, through some oversight, by some
"overworked" caseworker, some child in foster care is placed in a situation for the potential for abuse/neglect and this
abuse/neglect actually occurs, then it's, "Oooops", SNAFU, and life goes on as before.
So who protects a child from abuse/neglect, once the child enters the system?
(W)ho protects we the people from corporate and government bureaucracy? Money can be earned, lost,
transferred and recovered. But, will this young girl ever be able to recover from the loss of this toe?
Will she ever be able to recover from the concept of being taken from the people who really loved her and cared for her, all of her
life in the family home, and placed in a situation where she was actually physically harmed - and - nobody did anything about it?
Every once in a while THE COMMITTEE is contacted by someone regarding financial advise. We tell them most aggressively to NEVER permit anyone to have access to their bank accounts, their credit cards, their financial
statements or anything else of that nature. Why? Well, with everything from Identity theft, to corporate SNAFU's, the potential risk for financial
devastation is a lot more common that one might think!
Corporations advertise about the convenience of pre-authorized payment plans. It really is convenient! The Corporation can conveniently bankrupt you, someone in the corporation can conveniently steal your identity, and... the potential risk to your family's health, wealth and financial future can conveniently be
devastated... permanently... that is where the real convenience is. Would you risk all of that, merely to save yourself a few minutes each month
writing a few cheques, or sitting at your computer for a few seconds, transferring funds from your chequing account to pay bills?
And, what about this father's arrogance?
This father was naive. He thought he possessed of some kind of authority, as his daughter's biological father. But we've seen this kind of authority far too easily terminated- through divorce, custody issues, and child protection mandates.
If this father had known, he might have been a lot more cautious about being arrogant with someone who could easily ruin his entire family with one swift stroke of the pen!
1) One of our more popular slogans is, "It's just like going to the bathroom---the job isn't finished until the paperwork's done!". What does it mean? It means keep extensive records. Maintain those records and make sure they are current and up to date. When faced with corporate/government SNAFU's, this may be the only thing preventing a
devastating and irrecoverable FUBAR.
2) Make sure of your position is secure. Never assume you have complete power and authority over your money, spouse, children, home, etc.
Here's another one of our more popular phrases, "The word assume is comprised of three syllables, ( _ss u & me)" Before you let these three syllables bury you in financial and/or family devastation be sure you have the power and the authority you think you have.
You may just lose everything because you merely assume you had-
-the assumption of innocence,
-the assumption of freedom,
-and the assumption you're protected by certain inalienable human rights.
These are the kinds of assumptions that will lead you to assume things not in evidence, as fact!
3) Lastly, learn and understand life's chess game. That is to say, always think three, four, or more moves ahead. Never
lose sight of the big picture. Always assess your opponent's moves, counter moves, and the
repercussions of any and all of these. This can be very time consuming, but one has to weigh the balance; consequences -vs- advantages.
From the little boy who can't really see the harm in snatching a penny candy from behind the store clerk's back, to the father/mother who can't see the harm in cheating on their taxes, just a little, one has to be sure of the consequences and
repercussions of just such an action, weigh these consequences and ask one's self, "Is it all worth it?".
It took eighteen months of hard work and a lot of time off for court hearings and the like but---the child, in our story was returned, the family is back together again,
yet no amount of therapy, understanding and forgiveness is going to grow this young girl a new toe... now is
it?
And... most importantly... this father is now on the child abuse registry.
This means that caseworkers can come and invade his life, re-apprehend his daughter and/or any future progeny, whether born or unborn, from this time on... forever and ever, amen... plight without end... This is the kind of dark cloud that looms in the background, ever present, ever threatening, ever pressing in the recesses of this family's life and liberty.
Then again, maybe... just maybe... this might very well teach this father the price of his arrogance and the necessity for humility... It might,
the price is too high!
Sincerely,
Carolynn J. Middleton BABSc
( Executive Secretary )
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THE COMMITTEE ( People - 4 - People )
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www.geocities.com/tp4pcsick
www.geocities.com/tp4pc
tp4pc@sympatico.ca
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