What Happens
When You
Call CPS?
Don’t Avoid What You
Don’t Understand
By Brad Hambrick
You may have read the series of books
by C.S. Lewis called The Chronicles of
Narnia. In The Magician’s Nephew, two
children find themselves in the world of
Charn staring at a strange bell with the
inscription:
“Make your choice, adventurous Stranger,
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.”
(CPS). Uncertainty to be the reason for
inactivity in response to the abuse or
neglect of a child.
Before the Phone Call
Let’s make sure you understand what
would prompt you to call CPS. The simple
standard is that you have a “reasonable
suspicion” that a child is experiencing
abuse or neglect. A phone call to CPS
is a way to get an experienced second
opinion from someone with the
authority to intervene if your suspicion
is potentially valid.
In this brief poem, Lewis was inviting
his readers to wrestle with the human
resp o n se to u n kn o wn o u tco mes.
You’ll have to read the book to find
out what happens next in Narnia, but During the Phone Call
in this article, we want to explore the
“unknown outcome” of what happens When you speak to CPS, let them know
when you call Child Protective Services you are calling to report your concerns of
14 • Solutions