Families No Longer Shut Out of Dependency Hearings

If you've been down to the Terraine Street Courthouse where juvenile dependency issues are heard, you may have seen signs posted on the walls saying that families and friends ARE allowed in the courtrooms unless otherwise specified by a judicial officer. Wonder what caused that to happen?

Word has it that a Judge found out that Social Workers and County Counsels were telling parents that no one else was allowed in the courtroom because it was "confidential". Me thinks that was being said to prevent anyone else from seeing how truth can be twisted, how incompetent they can be and other dishonest tactics that are utilized. (And if you think I am for some reason biased, one day I was in the waiting room overhearing two Sheriff Deputies talking about a case that I was familiar with. Both were commenting that the Social Worker didn't know what he was doing and that the attorney was there just for the money or something.)

The Judge ordered signs placed around the waiting rooms AND reportedly issued an official memo to ALL concerned including the Dept of Family & Children Services that the Judicial Officers are the only ones who can decide that, NOT the Social Worker or County Counsel.

So, all families and friends are welcome in the Juvenile Dependency court hearings. This is actually VERY IMPORTANT as it puts more pressure on everyone to run things by the book.

Well, today, I got another call from a mother DESPERATELY wanting help in getting her children back from CPS. They have held onto her children since May of this year. More accusations of lying and or incompetent Social Workers stringing the mom along including attempts to use a Psych assessment to label her.

You know, I don't even promote into this area yet these parents somehow are finding me. I wonder what would happen if I started promoting?