RANDY WALLACE
Investigative Reporter
HOUSTON - If Child Protective Services had its way, 5-year-old Katelynn Allen wouldn't be with her grandmother right now. Neither would her 6-year-old brother Elisha.
CPS wanted them to be adopted by non-relatives.
"I don't even think I can find a word that can summarize what I went through," said the children's grandmother, Houston Minister Teresa Allen.
It was Allen who first contacted CPS back in August of 2009.
She was concerned about her grandkids because of her daughter's alleged drug use.
Three months went by and nothing happened.
In the meantime Allen took the kids to keep them safe.
Then, according to her lawsuit against CPS, a CPS caseworker called.
That case worker stated, "She was in fear of losing her job for missing a deadline to investigate the matter."
Allen complained to the case workers supervisor and anyone else with CPS that would listen.
She wanted action.
"You go all the way to the top and you just can't believe that there was no one in authority that could have stopped, looked and listened and investigated my complaint," Allen said.
"She finally went over the head of the case worker, then over the head of a supervisor to the program director," said Allen's attorney Chris Branson. " She was told in no uncertain terms that that was a bad move on her part and they were going to show her exactly what happens to people who make bad moves."
The next day Branson said CPS took Allen's two young grandkids away from her.
"I did not know what was going on, I did not know why," Allen said.
"The initial taking was illegal," Branson said.
Branson said CPS claimed the kids were in danger that's why they took them with no court order in hand.
"My client did nothing to have CPS take these kids, nothing came out later," Branson said.
For the next 11 months the lawsuit claims CPS workers did everything they could to discredit Allen who was denied access to her grandkids, and was repeatedly told they would be adopted by non relatives and she would never see them again.
"Anger, fear, the rejection, I mean it makes you feel less than a human being," Allen said.
In a hearing the grandmother won the right to get her grandkids back. But she hopes the lawsuit will lead to changes at CPS.
"We believe this is a good case to set a precedent that will send a clear and distinct message to Child Protective Services to clean up their act and do things the right way," Branson said.
Source http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/investigates/111216-child-protective-services-dispute
I lost my children recently. They would not allow my family member to take them and they entered my home on two occasions after I asked them several times not to. Once was when I found out that a beloved family memeber had lost the battle with cancer in the night. I have been cost my college career and possibly two jobs. As they took my crying children the agent with CPS told them to "say bye-bye to mommy" with a sharp wave to me and a laugh. I could even hear her laughing as I fell to the sidewalk and sobbed. This worker did not wait for all tof the children's medication nor was their dietary needs taken down. My children have trauma due to abuse suffered at the hands of my spouce whom I have been running from for almost three years now. They told me that they would help me but now I see they only meant to help me rid myself of my very soul. We have never been apart, my children and I, and now the only information I have is that they have been placed out of county due to the overcrowding within. If anyone has any information to help me get them back please help me. I just want my family back.
ReplyDeleteappeal. keep appealing. do not miss your deadlines. take into record, write down every interaction with cps, record every conversation with cps.
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