THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 27, 1995 TAG: 9507270373
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Sharon Forrest brought the thick wooden rod her children had been beaten with to show why she was thankful to child welfare workers for saving herself and her children from abuse.
``I needed someone to step into the situation and rescue me as much as I needed my children rescued,'' said Forrest, a Norfolk resident. ``Without CPS intervention I and my children were living death.''
Forrest was one of about 30 speakers at a public hearing Wednesday before a subcommittee of lawmakers studying reform of the state's Child Protective Services, the system in charge of protecting abused and neglected children.
In some cases, parents praised CPS workers and urged the legislators to give the workers more resources and stronger legal standing.
Others condemned CPS workers. Some speakers said they had been unjustly accused or interrogated by CPS investigators. ``The rights of people are disregarded,'' said Richard Jefferson, a Chesapeake resident. ``A person's innocence is totally forgotten.''
Several themes surfaced repeatedly throughout the hearing.
Child abuse prevention advocates repeatedly asked lawmakers to reduce the level of proof needed to classify a case as legitimate, or ``founded.'' Only two states in the country - Virginia and Georgia - need ``clear and convincing'' evidence to consider a complaint founded. Most states use a ``preponderance of evidence'' standard, which is a lower standard.
Child advocates also called for more training for child welfare workers and reduced caseloads.
Some speakers criticized people who make false allegations of abuse in child custody cases, saying the complaints squandered the time of child abuse investigators.
``We must not overlook the damage inflicted on the children when there are false allegations,'' said Cynthia Ewing, state coordinator of the Children's Rights Council. ``The resulting pain is as serious as an act of physical abuse or neglect.''
Several speakers called for harsher penalties for people who make false accusations.
Del. Alan E. Mayer, D-Fairfax, chairs the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Child Protective Services System in Virginia, and said the comments would be reviewed and used to make recommendations for reform.
Norfolk's hearing was the second of four to be conducted across the state. The subcommittee will meet in November and December to write proposed changes, which will then be presented to the 1996 General Assembly.
KEYWORDS: CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES by CNB