Who protects children from child protection workers?

I’m sure most people have heard horror stories about dealing with child protection workers, but until being caught in one of my own I had no idea just how bad it could be. I became very ill in 2001, and I could do little more than care for my childrens’ basic needs. My oldest children were 10 and 11 at the time, and they had a hard time with my illness and for the next two years started having behavior and anger problems. I tried three different counselors, but things kept getting worse. Against everyone’s advice I went to the Child Protection Services unit of Freeborn County, seeking help in finding better counseling and anger management for my children. I thought it was my best chance at getting my children the help they needed.

It became the biggest mistake I have ever made. After a year of asking for counseling and recieving none and being even more worried for my children’s futures and now even the safety of my youngest two, I agreed to putting my teens in foster care, hoping then they would get the help they needed.

I found out later that I had been tricked out of custody and had no say in their lives. I requested the file they kept on us, (I urge anyone dealing with them to do this, it is your right to see what they are doing without your knowledge.) When things were not working at my daughter’s last foster home, I asked the case worker, Michele Stewart, that she let my daughter stay with me. She would turn 18 two months later. Michele refused and told me they were keeping my daughter until she was 19, and that because of problems in the foster home and school she was taking her to Elmore Academy because of her behavior. My daughter called me while being transported and was hysterical, and I told her I would try to fix it.

I called the school and found out that none of what the social worker had told me about school problems was true, and they were shocked that she was being taken to that facility. I called Michele back to tell her what the school said and to ask again my daughter be brought to stay with me. When she answered, she informed me that my daughter had jumped out of her car and had three skull fractures and was going to be airlifted to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.

The hospital let me bring her home four days later. She will have lifelong problems from the incident. My son was to have his first home visit in almost a year that same week. Kathy Tjepkema of CPS stopped the visit (she changed the reason three times, all three were untrue). We had to go to court to get visits started. In the file I found emails between Michele and the facility my son was in. Fully knowing the extent of my daughters injuries, Michele told them that I was lying and that my daughter was fine.

The facility told my son that I was lying to him, but he knew I would never do such a thing. After reading the emails from our file, I called the man in charge of my son, and sent him my daughters medical papers so he would know who the liars actually were, and I also told him everything they had done to us for almost four years. He told me he would do what he could to help me get my son back.

Instead of going to foster care when he was done at the facility, I finally got my boy back. I had to make this letter short, but I have proof and/or witnesses for everything I say here, and a lot more to our nightmare. I have found that getting any help in dealing with these people is virtually impossible. I would be more than happy to share our whole story and the file with anyone who can help. I would also be happy to hear from others having problems with this agency. My email is minroz@yahoo.com.

Rosalind Swenson

Hollandale