How can you find out what child protective service is looking for when they do a home study?

Answer 1

I have been a CPS worker for 4 years. When we do home assessments, the main things we are looking for are food, electricity and water. We have to make sure that the environment of the home is suitable for the care of the child, and that he/she will have their basic care needs met there. We mat also ask to see where the child sleeps, and if he/she is a baby, to see diapers, formula, a crib/bassinet, etc.

Answer 2

Anything and everything. It might be a casual visit where you have coffee at the diningroom table and they leave and that's it, or it might be the most invasive, intrusive violation of your privacy you will ever experience outside of an airport.

If it'sa hostile visit, the worker starts outside your home. She looks at the view from outside, looking for signs of neglect: untended yard and shrubbery;broken vehicles/toys/furniture left lying around; anything that could be a danger such as a dog tethered outside 24/7 depending on the breed; a car that looks in disrepair.

Inside the door, she takes a surreptitious sniff - can she smell anything noxious, such as cat litter? garbage? moldy laundry? dirty diapers?

She looks around from the entry-way - is the house tidy? clean? and i'm not talking normal clean, here - i'm talking hospital antiseptic in the worst cases. are the switchplates wiped? is the banister sticky?

She inspects the kitchen - is there food in the fridge and cupboards? how much? what kind? is it healthy food such as fresh fruit and vegetables or is it "Welfare food" such as KD and canned pasta and chicken burgers? is the kitchen secured from a young child: latches, locks, and gated?

She goes through the bathroom - is the bathroom secure so the toddler can't get into it? is there a latch on the toilet? security covers on the taps? a bath mat?

She goes through the child's bedroom - does each child have their own room (if they're opposite gender) or their own bed (if same gender)? are their rooms tidy? is there a pile of dirty laundry stacked a mile high in the corner? if there's a crib, are bumper pads and soft, fluffy stuff removed and the mattress firm? is the window secured from accidental falls?

She goes through your room looking for evidence of co-sleeping.

THEN she sits down and grills you on your daily schedule, what and how much you feed your child, how do you feel when your son hits the baby? how often do you drink? do you do recreational drugs? how often do you go out (which, btw, is a trap question: if you go out "too much", you're a neglectful, irresponsible parent; if you don't go out, you are a shut-in with a higher probability for stress-related child abuse).

after all that, she inspects your child - right down to the skin. she looks for bruises, scars, scrapes, and so on. she looks to see if the hair is clean and tended or matted up and straggly. she checks the teeth to see if they are regularly brushed.

it gets better: she judges your attitude and your answers - you might think you're being "friendly", she jots it down as "ingratiating". you think your dignity has been offended, she puts down that you're defensive. protecting your privacy can be interpreted as "evasive".

in short, if a CPS worker shows up at your door, do not let them in without someone else being with you to act as a witness.