- Target:
- United States Government
- Region:
- United States of America
For years CPS/DHS has been in control of a database called Central Registry for Abused and Neglect. Before 1992 people were placed on this registry only for obtaining services and were never notified of the registry or the fact they were placed on it.
The rule was you would be removed after your child turned 18 or 10 years after whichever was the later. In 2004 it was put into an amended law that CPS had to notify the person placed on this registry via certified restricted mail, however the postal service will allow anyone in the household to sign for it. Also any case which happened before 1992 even though a hearing is in front of an administrative law judge the Director of DHS must have final say.
An audit done in Michigan on September 2010 came up with this conclusion:
"DHS had not established effective internal control to help ensure that it always added the substantiated perpetrators of CA/N to the Central Registry that DHS identified during CPSinvestigations (Finding 1).
DHS had not established effective internalcontrol to ensure that it completed and reviewed CPS investigations timely (Finding 2).
DHS had not established effective internal control to help DHS ensure that it prevented the improper expungement of perpetrator records from the Central Registry (Finding 3)."
"DHS had not established effective internal control over system access for users with the capability to edit key Central Registry perpetrator identifying information fields. In addition, DHS had not established effective internal control over the monitoring of edits made to Central Registry perpetrator information (Finding 7)."
We, the undersigned, Call on The legislature of the United States to remove DHS control over the Central Registry for Child Abuse and Neglect and place it in the hands of the Judges.
We want to see the following happen:
1. A Judges order and signature on the affidavits which would place a person on this registry.
2. CPS no longer in control of this Registry, hire people in the Courts Clerk office to maintain it.
3. Administrative Law Judge have the final say in expunging of any record brought in court for expungment.
4. Only people who have been found guilty of the crime of Child Abuse shall be put on this registry.
5. Child Abuse/Neglect is a crime and should be tried in Criminal Courts not Family Courts.
6. Families must be found guilty with "beyond a reasonable doubt" in Criminal Court not a "preponderance of evidence" in family court.
7. Purge all records of people listed that have not been found guilty in Criminal Court by clear and convincing evidence.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Change Central Registry for child abuse and neglect petition to United States Government was written by Elizabeth Berryhill and is in the category Law Reform at GoPetition.