Families across North Carolina  and across the country are being permanently harmed by a child welfare system that lacks meaningful oversight, transparency, and accountability. Parents are losing their children based on flawed investigations, incomplete or inaccurate records, and decisions made behind closed doors, often with little or no ability to challenge errors.

In too many cases, Child Protective Services (CPS) and local Departments of Social Services (DSS) operate without effective checks and balances. Families report missing or altered records, decisions based on unverified statements, inconsistent application of the law, and barriers to accessing information about their own children. When serious errors occur, there is rarely an independent review process to correct them.
The result is devastating: children lose stability and connection, parents lose years they can never recover, and public trust in a system meant to protect families continues to erode.

Why This Matters

Behind every CPS case is a real child and a real family. When oversight fails, the consequences are permanent. Parents are left powerless and unheard. Children are separated from their families without transparency or meaningful due process.

Protecting children should never mean silencing parents, ignoring evidence, or shielding agencies from accountability. A system that cannot correct its own mistakes is not protecting children, it is harming them.

What We Are Asking For

We are calling on North Carolina lawmakers — including Erin Hucks and the North Carolina General Assembly — to take action by supporting reforms that include:

Independent audits and legislative oversight of CPS and DSS practices.

Accurate, complete, and accessible records for families and courts.

Stronger due-process protections for parents and children.

Accountability when agencies violate policy or law.

A renewed focus on family preservation and reunification when children are not in immediate danger.

These measures are essential to protecting children while also safeguarding the rights of families.

Call to Action

This is not a partisan issue. It is a human one.

**If you believe children deserve protection and families deserve fairness, please sign and share this petition. Silence allows harm to continue.**