Nikolayev family happy to be reunited with baby boy, but worried about future CPS visits

http://www.sacandco.net ^ | april 30, 2013 | Gabriel Roxas

[lowbridge]

The day after a judge returned custody of a baby taken into protective custody, the parents have been overwhelmed by international attention. However, Alex and Anna Nikolayev said their battle with Child Protective Services is far from over.

Sammy Nikolayev, 5 months old, was placed in protective custody last week after his mother took him out of Sutter Memorial Hospital against medical advice to get a second opinion from a Kaiser Permanente doctor. The move came as a shock to the couple who had medical records from another doctor clearing Sammy to go home with them.

On Monday, a judge returned custody to the parents as long as they agreed not to remove Sammy again against medical advice. The boy is now set to move to the children's hospital at Stanford within the next 24 to 48 hours.

The parents wanted to thank the public for the outpouring of support they received. They said so many people have told them about their own experiences with similar cases, and the couple hopes the attention their case has received will lead to reforms in the system. In the meantime, Anna said after being limited to one hour visits with her son over the last few days, finally being able to see Sammy as long as she wanted came as a great relief to her and her baby.

[lowbridge]

Related thread:

US Russian couple seeking answers after police 'ripped baby from their arms'

[SWAMPSNIPER]

They need to get out of The Peoples Republic of Kalifornia.

[lowbridge]

The peoples republic of kalifornia needs to get out of america.

[SECURE AMERICA]

Silly people think their child belongs to them. It belongs to the collective!

[Gen.Blather]

They need to find employment in another state. Once you’ve gotten into a state database every time someone comes to your door there is a probability that state employee will do something you won’t like and it will be expensive to fight. So, if you get 10 visits and there’s a 10% chance that the employee will be having a bad day and make an adverse decision, at the end of 10 visits that probability is close to 1.

On the one hand, state employees have WAY too much power. On the other hand, if they don’t take away the child and the boyfriend, girlfriend kills the child in a drunken/drugged rage then the employee gets blamed. That’s the employee’s incentive to heck, just take the kid. It’s no skin off the employee’s nose and it’s the less risk option for the employee.

[she geek]

Unfortunately in this day and age, this could happen anywhere in the US, not just California

[txrefugee]

How utterly shameful. They would be better off in Russia than in Kalifornia.

[absolootezer0]

On the one hand, state employees have WAY too much power. On the other hand, if they don’t take away the child and the boyfriend, girlfriend kills the child in a drunken/drugged rage then the employee gets blamed. That’s the employee’s incentive to heck, just take the kid. It’s no skin off the employee’s nose and it’s the less risk option for the employee.

state employees are more likely to go after a white, working middle class family for child removal than anyone else. they're the easiest targets: less likely to be prone to violence, less likely to be able to afford a really good lawyer, more likely to let the state take the child without much of a fight, until after the fact.

[cuban leaf]

It is why you want to avoid ever getting the state involved if you can at all help it. Never let them in. Never answer their questions. Smiling. Always smiling.

I know this one involved the hospital so they were kind of stuck with what the hospital wanted to do.

[arthurus]

The Nikolayev family needs to get somewhere else very soon. CPS, however, is CPS everywhere. In some states they are less munificently funded than in other states, though.

[Carry_Okie]

state employees are more likely to go after a white, working middle class family for child removal than anyone else. they're the easiest targets: less likely to be prone to violence, less likely to be able to afford a really good lawyer, more likely to let the state take the child without much of a fight, until after the fact.

White kids are also worth more money to the bureaucrats. The State gets an incentive from the Feds for a quick adoption. White kids are easier to adopt out.

[HomeAtLast]

this could happen anywhere in the US

But almost no one believes that.

Here's an experiment concept for all:

Spend about six weeks buying baby needs: diapers, formula, clothes, etc. (Put it all in the Good Will box when you're ready.) When it's good and cold outside, drop a dime on yourself. Call the CPS anonymously and say the perp (you) has no heat, has an infant, appears to be dealing drugs and/or prostitution, and the older kids are not in school.

See how long it takes to convince them to give back any kids you really have, or quit looking for the made-up one. See how long it takes them to access your bank records, credit records, purchasing history, medical history, gun ownership, contents of your medicine cabinet and fridge, internet activity, email...

Of course I don't really mean do this....false alarms are bad because the personnel could be diverted from a real emergency elsewhere. Just sayin.

[HomeAtLast]

You said the dirty secret. There’s money to be made.

[Cyber Liberty]

...the couple hopes the attention their case has received will lead to reforms in the system.

Nope. Not gonna improve. These CPS-as-bully stories have been out there for 20-30 years, and if that much bad press doesn't cause it to be addressed, nothing will.