CPS wants me to sign a “Safety Plan” or they are going to take my children into foster care. What should I do?

A Safety Plan tells you that you have to follow certain rules to keep your children with you in the home. For instance, in many cases, the Safety Plan will instruct you to remove an alleged abuser from your home, or to clean your home, or to participate in counseling. You must ask yourself whether you can follow the Safety Plan – if you can’t then you are at risk of having your children removed. You must make sure that both you and CPS understand what exactly the Safety Plan tells you to do or not do. Many children are removed each year because CPS interpreted the Safety Plan differently than the parent did. Ask CPS when does the Safety Plan expire. If no expiration date is given, then you are forever at risk of having your children removed. As always, try to review the Safety Plan with a lawyer before you sign it.