Maybe foster parents know this - CPS/DFCS question

Dragonfly_Bride

In my post below, https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/45541908.aspx ,

I mentioned that a PBM is making an adoption plan because she thinks that CPS will be called when she checks into the hospital. If CPS doesn't come, then she will parent. So, is there a flagging system in place? Does anyone know how it works? 

Ultimately, I have no control over the situation, but I'd like to know about anyone's experience. This is in California.  

 

Temp206787500007404

I work in L&D...what happens at our hospital is that DHR will call us (and the other hospitals) and let us know that if x-patient comes in we are to notify them.  Typically this goes through case management/social workers/supervisors, we're not directly involved.

What happens a lot if she is "smart"...is they will go to a hospital in another county or out of state.  This happens a lot, and in our area involves a drive of at least 50-60 miles.

We get a lot of birthmothers from Florida, because in FL there are some very strict laws around drug use during pregnancy, even marijuana, that can lead to removal of the baby.  So moms will come to the hospitals in my area to deliver and avoid that.  Texas has similar laws -- lack of prenatal care and marijuana use can both lead to a mom being charged with a felony and her baby removed at birth.

We had a potential match in Texas where the mom knew her baby would be removed at birth by DHR due to her choosing a boyfriend who had a record as a sexual offender (not the baby's father) -- she drove 100 miles to a different hospital to give birth and had the baby in her custody for almost 4 months before they caught up to her and it was removed from her home.  So it could really go lots of different directions.

Ultimately, if the baby is going to be removed, it will happen sooner or later -- the best thing for her to do would be to go ahead and make an adoption plan.  (((HUGS)))

Dragonfly_Bride

Thank you! This is very, very good information. I'm just twiddling my thumbs, waiting to hear if we even have a possibility of adopting this baby, which means all I can do now is occupy my time with trying to research an endless supply of what-ifs.  

come*on*baby

fredalina:

They also often do drug testing in hospital either routinely or if they suspect./state laws vary.

if they even *think* the BM looks like she's been using, they will do a drug test. And some BM may plan to as MrsB stated, but sometimes that can't be the case because drug use does/could lead to early labor/premature birth. 

Honeydew1894

We were in a situation similar to what you mentioned. She risked it instead of an adoption plan, CPS took the baby, and apparently she sued CPS to get the baby back. It seems that it worked somehow bc she has the baby now.

GulfCoaster

come*on*baby:

fredalina:

They also often do drug testing in hospital either routinely or if they suspect./state laws vary.

if they even *think* the BM looks like she's been using, they will do a drug test. And some BM may plan to as MrsB stated, but sometimes that can't be the case because drug use does/could lead to early labor/premature birth. 

And in Pennsylvania, some hospitals apparently test everyone, and at least one has extremely low cut-offs on its tests.  Which has led to an interesting lawsuit there by a new mother who had miniscule levels of opiates from a poppyseed bagel, and the agency not investigating any farther prior to removing her child.

https://www.aclupa.org/legal/mortstatement.htm   (and yes, I am a nerd, because I read the whole complaint and all its legal arguments )

The vast majority of hospitals, of course, have drug tests that are better calibrated than that to avoid false positives.

hereonceagain

Dragon, my fost/adopt child is from CA.  Her bmom had 9 kids here and each time she went to different hospitals thinking she'd be in the clear.  She had no prenatal care at all.  I thought she'd never get caught with the last pregnancy/baby, but sure enough I got a call the day she was born.  I asked how they tracked her and they didn't want to clearly tell me, but it sounded as if her medi-cal insurance was flagged somehow.  The second she showed up to deliver, DCFS was notified. 

 Do you know if social workers are alerted of a potential pregnancy?  I think they would need to know.  I don't think the bmom of my little one would have been "flagged" until they were alerted she was possibly pregnant.