I am urging you to stand with me in addressing the critical issue of Child Protective Services (CPS) in Tulare and Fresno counties, as well as across the United States. This plea stems from a deep personal concern as I have seen firsthand how CPS can devastate families by unjustly tearing them apart. Families who love and care for their children are being shattered by a system that operates with little accountability and transparency.

CPS is supposed to protect vulnerable children from harm. However, in many cases, it is failing at this mission. Instead, it removes children from their loving families, placing them in foster care where they are at risk of physical and emotional harm. Studies have shown that children in foster care are at higher risk for trauma, mental health issues, and instability compared to those who remain in safe and supportive familial environments.

In Tulare and Fresno counties, stories abound of families being torn apart based on accusations that are exaggerated or completely unfounded. The power CPS holds over families is immense, as social workers can remove children from their homes based on subjective evaluations and allegations. The lack of accountability allows for manipulation and deceit, which harms those they are supposed to protect.

We need substantial reform. CPS as an organization must be dismantled and rebuilt with checks and balances that ensure decisions to remove children are made transparently, ethically, and with the children’s best interests at heart. This means implementing oversight committees at local and federal levels to review CPS operations regularly, providing training focused on family preservation, and using evidence-based practices to support children's welfare.

Moreover, it is imperative to hold social workers and the CPS organization accountable for unlawful actions. These professionals and agency leaders should be subject to disciplinary actions when they engage in manipulative or deceitful practices that harm children and families. Families should have the recourse to challenge wrongful decisions without fear of retribution and have access to an independent review board to oversee CPS interventions.

Please join me in calling for the dismantling of Child Protective Services in its current form and the creation of a new, more just system that truly works to protect our children and preserve our families. Sign this petition to demand change and give power back to loving families nationwide.