So glad you had a good time with Paxton. I could tell those were bruises from abuse by those pictures. The father should report her. I just don't understand how parents can let this go on. Back in the day it would have been different. No calling CPS if it even existed then. A grandparent or a parent would have taken that child home with them and dared the abuser to even try to get the child back. I saw my dad interact with his brother about his child and he knew my dad meant business. The physical abuse stopped but I am sure the emotional scars remained with that child. Back then nobody realized the emotional side of those things.
I called CPS and the lady told me to email all the pictures I took. The worker who got them called me later and asked a bunch of questions, including what did the mother say about it and what did Paxton say. The worker downplayed his injuries and mentioned his healthy looking size and weight about a dozen times. Because I mentioned he was here on his birthday and we had a party, she asked for pictures of that, so I sent some and she said he looked like a very happy, healthy, un-traumatized child, and she didn't see any bruises on him. He did have some on his face and arms that day, and you can see the one under his eye in a couple of the pictures but it's pretty faint. The worker sort of used that to accuse me of lying or exaggerating.
But Jackie said that Cole said yesterday that CPS did show up at their house last week...after my call. The CPS person told them it was just a routine visit they're supposed to do within 6 months after closing their case. It was closed about 4 months ago. Cole said they just stood in one spot and looked around the one room, looked at the kids but not under their clothing or anything, and asked questions like "are there any drugs or alcohol in the house?" without looking in the fridge, and, of course, the answer was no.
CPS can't violate your rights. Like, they can look around but they can't look in any drawers or open any doors. They can ask you to do it, but you can just say no and they have to move on. They can't really do anything unless they see a kid who looks emaciated or has a large festering wound, is locked in a cage or tied to a bed. Oh, and they have to give at least 30 minutes notice before an unscheduled visit. In some counties, it's 24 hours notice. So, basically there's no such thing as an unscheduled visit. Well, unless
more than one neighbor calls 911 to say there's a crime against a child in progress. In some counties, 911 has a hotline to CPS but they don't use it very often. Cops don't usually notify CPS until after they get to a place and assess the situation.
