Kentucky is one of 21 states that still close child protection proceedings. But there is a growing movement to open them after the Inspector General of Kentucky documented widespread abuses within the child protection system.
After three years of controversy problems linger. A Target 32 investigation found that social workers are troubled by what they call suspicious conduct by their colleagues already under fire in the Inspector General’s report.
Linda Roberts a single mother who had her four children taken away after her ex-husband sexually assaulted one of them turned over a tape of her child custody proceeding.
“All of a sudden she called in and said ‘remove those kids,’” Roberts said. “It was a very heart-wrenching thing to do after I’d worked so hard to get them back then for no good reason to take them away again. It was very difficult.”
The next time her children were taken she didn’t get a hearing to defend herself within 72 hours as required by law.
Now she’s in family court defending herself from an allegation that she spanked her daughter with a belt.
The school system never saw any marks on the children so the CPS social worker ruled the physical abuse allegation unsubstantiated. Then. Roberts was also accused of neglect due to allegations that she left the children alone.
The Louisville CPS workers also determined the neglect allegation was unsubstantiated in large part due to a note from a supervisor giving the single working mom permission to leave the children with their 16-year-old sibling for short periods of time in emergencies which she did.
“Ms. Roberts appears to me to go above and beyond with her kids because she puts them in child enrichment programs and takes them to school she picks them up after school,” a CPS social worker said. “We have letters from supervisors directors neighbors co-workers all stating that whenever they see Ms. Roberts they see her kids. Neighbors say they never see kids home alone.”
But judge Shan Embry ruled differently because of a previous court order reading “The children may only be left with their older adult siblings when not in the care of their mother.” Roberts was found in contempt because according to the court. “younger siblings were left with the 16-year-old on four to five occasions.”
The judge also found that the children “were all physically disciplined by Linda Roberts with a belt and switch on numerous occasions.”
And the final reason cited by the judge for taking Roberts’ children: “Leaving three of her children alone in the Lizard Bay pool at Disney World for at least 30 minutes” while she was looking for another child who got lost.
While that ruling outraged Roberts something else that happened in the case was disturbing even to social workers. A supervisor in the Louisville office detailed what she called suspicious conduct in the Meade County CPS office where the case against Roberts originated.
“The case file was not there and we don’t know where the case file went,” the supervisor said. “Once we started requesting the records the phone calls stopped. We didn’t get any phone calls back.”
The case file that contained records supporting Linda Roberts disappeared while the information against her was forwarded to Louisville when the case transferred.
Then. Louisville investigators learned the “Meade County investigator who executed the initial affidavit alleging contempt is the best friend of the temporary custodian’s mother-in-law.”
“They can pull strings and do things and files can disappear reports can be made and children can be snatched out of a home without even a hearing,” Roberts said. “In many ways they make their own decisions not based on legal grounds and nobody's doing anything about it."
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