The Awesome Power of DCFS

If you ever expect an encounter with DCFS, you'd better know your rights and you'd better have a killer-shark of an attorney - whether you can afford him or not. If you don't have both, you might as well just lie down and wait for the train to run over you.

The power of DCFS starts with "We have the right to take your kids." OK, so that sets the stage for a good working relationship with a parent; right? Yeah, sure... "We're your friend. You can trust us." Sure, you betcha!

Talk about a level playing field.

Let's take a situation where a single parent is struggling - not just to make ends meet, but just to find where the ends are. If you are going to make ends meet, you have to at least know where they are.

Throw in non-payment of child support by the ex-spouse, house being foreclosed, theft of personal property, nosy neighbors, transportation problems, drivers license problems, multiple tickets stretching back a year, job problems - not a problem of having a job; getting TO the job.

Enough problems to cause just a little stress? Think a parent might be just a little angry? Now throw in huge legal bills at $250/hour and little real representation in court.

Now here comes DCFS. What's their advice?

Take a bus to work. Hello? Do you know anything about McHenry County? Maybe DCFS workers should have to rely on bus transportation for a week in McHenry County to make their rounds. They'd get the point in the first two hours!

Take a cab to work. Hello? Ever check cab fares to go 25 miles to work? And home at 2:30AM after an 8-hour shift? Probably a day's pay right there for the round trip.

A nosy neighbor who makes a complaint to DCFS. DCFS investigates and writes a letter that the complaint is unfounded. Unfounded. UNFOUNDED. But does DCFS go away?

Do you think if the ex-spouse had paid the child support as ordered by the court, then the financial struggles of the family might not be so great? Where are the courts when you need them?

There they are. Right on N. Seminary. Behind the seven guards checking bags and cell phones at the front door of the courthouse.

And when DCFS makes a non-sensical recommendation to a judge and the parent balks, what does the judge do? Move the kids to the ex-spouse for a month to give her time to think it over.

Where is the GAL in all this? What's a GAL? Guardian ad Litem for the kids. Think he has had any contact with the kids, so that he can tell the judge what will be in the best interest of the kids? The GAL is supposed to be independent and looking out for the kids.

So, if you ever go into court and DCFS tells the judge that something needs to be done (regardless of any fact that the kids are not in need - not abused, not neglected, not malnourished, not unhappy, going to school, making friends, getting along), well, you had better just say "Yes, your honor. Whatever you say, your honor. Yes, indeed, your honor. Right away, your honor."

Especially if your lawyer is not standing up and truly representing you and arguing your case, on your behalf, in front of the judge!