When child protective services FAIL your kids
Well, after xAH was arrested for hitting me and AFTER the girls reported it to their therapist and AFTER therapist called DCYF (and then me to say she had little hope they would do a damn thing), the idiot worker came to interview the girls...
I was totally cooperative and agreeable...
She met with the kids and then asked them to wait upstairs while she spoke to me.
Conversation went this way:
"Well they did report they are scared of their dad when he hits you but I asked if their fear interferes with them at school or if they can still have fun with friends and concentrate and they said yes so the case will be closed because it's not child abuse for them to witness an alleged act of domestic violence".
At that point there was nearly an act of violence on my part bc I wanted to shake her and ask her if she was insane.
Instead I paused and took a lot of deep breaths and explained that one of the issues the girls therapist and I are concerned with is that they ALWAYS are ok in school and are GREAT at keeping up appearances but that ought not be an indicator of whether it is abusive for them to be subjected to their fathers violent attacks.
DCYF worker replied that he had not been convicted yet so it was just an allegation.
I was starting to get pissed and reminded her he had been arrested and that I wasn't going to debate the criminal case with her but was concerned about my kids witnessing his abuse.
She then paused and said "well I have to ask you something that may be hard to swallow but is it possible you did anything that might have provoked him because it seems strange he would just assault you without provocation".
I started to cry at that point and told her she was grossly inappropriate, that this had happened mere days before and I showed her the scratches and bruises and asked her to leave my home immediately.
She reminded me that the case would be closed with no finding of abuse and said she was sorry I couldn't hear her question without being defensive and i should think about it.
I immediately called to file a complaint and asked her supervisor to call me back.
So, thats how my state deals with child abuse...