Former CPS Caseworker Speaks Out: Inside the Decisions, Incentives, and Failures Families Never See
Families involved with Child Protective Services (CPS) often walk away asking the same question:
“How could this outcome possibly make sense?”
Today, we begin sharing the story of a former CPS investigator who has seen the system from nearly every angle—and ultimately stepped away because she could no longer reconcile what she witnessed with justice, law, or child safety.
Her name is Lisa.
She is not a commentator.
She is not an activist guessing from the outside.
She lived this system.
And what she shared during our recorded conversation exposes structural problems that families across the country describe every day—often without anyone believing them.
More of her story—and full video interviews—are coming soon.
Lisa’s Experience Spans the Entire System
Lisa’s credibility is not theoretical. Her experience includes:
Former CPS investigator
Licensed social worker
Former law enforcement officer
Advanced EMT, trained to interpret medical diagnoses
Foster parent
Adoptee, with lived experience of adoption-related trauma
Independent advocate helping families review CPS cases across multiple states
Her perspective is rare because it crosses boundaries most professionals never inhabit simultaneously.
She understands:
How investigations are supposed to work
How decisions are actually made
How trauma compounds when systems ignore consistency and accountability
“I Could Predict the Outcome Based on Which Supervisor Was Working”
One of the most important statements Lisa made was this:
“I could tell you what decision would be made depending on which supervisor was working.”
She wasn’t exaggerating.
According to Lisa, outcomes were often not driven by uniform standards, but by:
Which supervisor was on duty
Personal interpretations of “safety”
Subjective judgment rather than consistent application of law
She emphasized that this reality undermines the integrity of the entire system:
“It should be uniform. It’s not.”
The same family.
The same facts.
The same allegations.
Different supervisor—different outcome.
That inconsistency, she explained, is devastating for families and dangerous for children.
Counties vs. State Oversight: “They Just Do Whatever They Want”
Lisa worked in Milwaukee County, which she described as operating differently than many other counties due to long-standing state oversight following a federal class-action lawsuit.
She explained that Milwaukee County:
Was once county-run
Was taken over by the state after systemic failures
Now operates under tighter rules, training, and accountability
In contrast, she described many counties as having minimal oversight, stating plainly:
“The counties… they just do whatever they want and they don’t follow the law.”
She contrasted structured training in Milwaukee with other counties where workers are:
“Just thrown in and told to go decide safety.”
The result?
Inconsistent decisions, civil rights violations, and unchecked discretion.
Bias, Poverty, and Cultural Misinterpretation
Lisa was direct about bias—both conscious and unconscious.
She explained that many CPS workers:
Come from middle-class backgrounds
Lack lived experience with poverty or minority communities
Misinterpret cultural and economic realities as neglect
She gave a clear example:
“A Hispanic family with two families sharing a two-bedroom apartment… kids sleeping on pallets on the floor. That’s not ideal, but it’s not unsafe.”
Yet, she said, those same conditions are often labeled neglect—especially when families don’t look or live like the investigator.
She also addressed racial disparities directly:
“Children’s Hospital will call CPS on a Black family almost every time—and maybe 20% of the time on a white family for the same condition.”
She added:
“You don’t see systemic racism until you see it.”
Medical Abuse Allegations and Differential Diagnoses
One of the most alarming parts of Lisa’s story involved medical abuse allegations.
She described a case involving a three-month-old infant suspected of having a femur fracture.
Doctors were unsure whether it was:
A fracture
A bone infection (osteomyelitis)
Or something else entirely
Lisa refused to take custody without confirmation:
“Until you can tell me it is a femur fracture, it’s not either.”
Further testing later revealed:
No fracture
No infection
An unexplained condition
She stated plainly:
“If that baby had entered the system, it would have taken forever to get her back.”
Adoption: “It Should Be the Exception, Not the Expectation”
Lisa’s strongest convictions center around adoption.
As an adoptee who experienced trauma, she rejects the idea that adoption is inherently better:
“Kids aren’t guaranteed a better life—just a different one.”
She shared one case that deeply affected her:
A child was on track for reunification
The judge terminated parental rights anyway
The child was adopted by a family receiving $12,000 per month in adoption subsidies
That family later purchased a yacht
She emphasized that the issue isn’t individual wealth—it’s systemic incentive structures.
“That child was more adoptable because he was under two.”
She said hearing judges use the word “adoptable” made her sick:
“As someone who’s adopted, that makes me want to throw up.”
Foster Care Abuse and Systemic Silence
Lisa stated unequivocally:
“My worst cases were foster parents and adoptive parents.”
She described:
Torture
Sexual abuse
Neglect
In one case, multiple mandated reporters knew abuse was happening for years.
Nothing was done.
“No one believed the child because the foster parents ‘could never do that.’”
That silence, she said, broke her.
Why She Left CPS
Lisa did not leave because the work was too hard.
She left because she could no longer be part of a system that:
Ignored children’s cries for help
Allowed abuse to continue due to reputation
Prioritized expediency over truth
She shifted into licensing foster homes so she could:
Decide who was approved
Remove children when suspicion arose
Reinforce reunification and family connections
Eventually, even that wasn’t enough.
What She Does Now
Today, Lisa:
Independently reviews CPS cases
Reads statutes and policies line by line
Interprets medical records
Helps parents understand what’s actually happening in their cases
She often does this without charge.
She insists on honesty:
“There’s your truth, CPS’s truth, and somewhere in the middle is the actual truth.”
More of Lisa’s Story Is Coming Soon
This blog post is only the beginning.
We have recorded in-depth conversations with Lisa, and video interviews are coming soon, covering:
Supervisor-driven outcomes
Medical abuse allegations
Adoption incentives
Foster care failures
Why families stop trusting the system
These interviews will be released in segments to ensure clarity, accuracy, and accountability.
Why This Matters
Families are often told:
“You’re the problem.”
“Trust the process.”
“The system knows best.”
Lisa’s story confirms what many families already know:
The system is inconsistent, subjective, and often unaccountable.
Listening to insiders isn’t about tearing CPS down.
It’s about telling the truth—so reform is even possible.
Stay Connected
More of Lisa’s story is coming soon.
Video interviews are in production.
And this conversation is far from over.
