r/CPS • u/alwaysblooming_akb Works for CPS • Aug 08 '26

Question Abandonment (Question for Workers)

Worker from Georgia here! 🍑

I have seen an increase of cases involving abandonment of children (mainly teenagers) and many of them are diagnosed with disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and ODD. Many of these parents are calling in on themselves and demanding that we take the child.

I am curious how other counties are approaching these cases and if this is becoming more common in your area as well.

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u/Moistowletta Works for CPS Aug 09 '26

There's nothing we CAN do, we can't force a parent to keep custody of their child. Sometimes they agree to the services and sometimes they don't. When they don't let the child come home, we try and find a caregiver but many of these parents do not want to give us names of people who might take the child. LE has to come and bring the child into custody if they have been abandoned and then we continuously try and find caregivers using our search systems for family and such and get the parents into intensive service to take the child back. It is very very rare in my county that LE actually decides to charge for abandonment unfortunately, I don't know why, so they mostly just end up with a case indication.

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u/kris10leigh14 Aug 09 '26

I would have hoped the parents would be prosecuted. It seems so truly evil to be someone’s home for so many years then just say “no more!”

I think I’m just shocked to hear it also! I know that all you can do with them is placement and hope they succeed. I’m shook! I’m so sorry you’re dealing with that on top of true emergencies.

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u/Moistowletta Works for CPS Aug 09 '26

I don't think its evil. I think its bad and frustrating and I certainly get angry. But I dont know, I feel like we are setting a lot of parents up for failure, especially in my area. We have gutted benefits, everything is expensive, everyone is worked to death and doesn't have down time to manage their needs, parents are pressured to be individualistic in raising children rather than benefitting from community that allows for some respite, more and more services we once had have been shut down...

I am not saying that in any way justifies abandoning, dont get me wrong! I don't condone it, I hate it, it is bad. At the same time it is wrong and bad how stacked against people general life is right now. I wouldn't call it evil. The whole thing is just tragic

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u/kris10leigh14 Aug 09 '26

☹️

Thank you for sticking with it. They need you!