Reform the initial process for Child Abuse Reporting
- by: Bridget Nelson, mother of a child who CPS failed to protect
- recipient: Ingrid Harita, Head of Orange County Child Protective Services
The purpose of this petition is to reform the process in which CAST handles reports of Child abuse specifically sexual abuse of a child by a parent. I am doing this for my daughter. She told me that her father and grandfather kiss her pee pee. That both of these grown men play a game with her they call the Hush hush game. CAST determined the abuse to be unfounded. CAST felt she was coached because her story was so consistent and because she could disclose what these men had done to her but not what house or room it occurred in. She disclosed this information a month after she turned four. Looking back the signs were there all along and the odds that it occurred at more than one location is very likely and would most likely explain her inability or unwillengness to disclose a specific location. I created this petition because I beleive her and know that I did not coach her. Up until her disclosure her father and I had a terrific co-parenting relationship. I propose that if a parent reports abuse by the other parent that both parties be polygraphed as part of the initial process instead of waiting until they decide to persue criminal charges. I feel that this would have stopped CAST from making a decision that has ultimately made it possible for my daughter to have increased unsupervised visits with the man who has betrayed her and worst part is that she continue to come home from visits and disclose that the abuse continues and I have no way of protecting her legally.
We the undersigned beleive that some reform to your department is well beyond overdue. My daughter who turned four at the end of september disclosed to me that her dad and grandad had been kissing her pee pee. After her initial statement was taken at the huntington beach police department She continued to disclose things with a much more advanced vocabulary. Your team told me they thought she had gotten this language from exposure to a porno or even from her big brother. He is in kindergarten. Her father and I have ultimately ended up in court and your offices report was read allowed. In it the case worker wrote that my daughters story was so consistent that it seemed as though she had been coached. This is simply untrue and i beleive that if this was the feeling of your office that i should have been confronted on the issue and that a polygraph test should have been administered to me. as a result of your teams lack of faith in my daughters disclosure and ultimate determination of unfounded with regards to the sexual abuse not only have the courts increased her visits with him but they have made an order of 50/50 custody which has resulted in my daughters inability to continue therapy. Also to add salt to the wound she continues to disclose upon returning home from her visits with him that he has continued to kiss her pee-pee or that she is scared to tell because he will be angry with her. She has even told me that he says he wants to stop but doesnt know how. I have witness to several of her disclosures and yet thanks to your team and the judicial system i have no way to protect her from him legally. you should know that he hired an attorney and a No Notice Exparte claiming that i was prostuting and sucking dick for cash. If these allegations were true why would he have not addressed them with your staff when they talked with him? I know I am not the only parent whose child has failed to be protected by your team and i dont doubt that your office does help to protect many children but no child should be allowed to fall through the cracks. I even asked that my daughter be place in a neutral environment if your team really thinks i have coached her I feel it would have been in her best uinterest to be allowed supervised visitaion with both of us than unsupervised visits or even allowing him custody of any kind. Its not that i want her in the sysytem because i dont but I want her safe and now I cant protect her at all and its not my fault it is ulitamatly a result of your staff. There is much i would like to discuss with you but I feel this letter is long enough. Please I know it is not yor offices intention to allow a child to be harmed but your offices has not succeded in at least this matter. i beg you to protect my daughter. I pray for you and all of CAST and CPS, the judge, my daughter, myself and son and even her father. Please dont fail her again. Please dont make her have to endure such abuse any longer. You can contact me at 714-499-5566. I would be happy to meet with you and discuss my concerns in person. Infact I would prefer it. Thank you for your time and prompt attention to this matter.
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