I have Nothing Nice to Say

I know I'm not the only one who has to deal with crippling ineptitude on the part of outside agencies. I'm sure everyone has to deal with some form of idiocy with their jobs. It's inevitable. But seriously? DCF (Child Protective Services in CT) has to be the worst agency on the planet.

I practically gift-wrapped a child abuse case for them. Seriously had records from the day the kid revealed the abuse up to present day. There is a 0% chance that this abuse didn't happen. The abuse was perpetuated by a family member who has a slew of other complaints from other parents and children.

Gift.
Effing.
Wrapped.

Except, DCF, in all their wisdom, failed to provide state police with the evidence. Apparently they told police there was no evidence. Which is funny because I provided it. I gave everything I had to DCF and the state police  like an intelligent, professional person who actually cares about justice being done. Somehow they either lost whatever they had or they just didn't do their job. I suspect both.

My hatred for this agency is bubbling over. They have caused so much pain and unnecessary trauma to so many of my clients and, by proxy, me. I was taught as a child to trust authority figures and respect them. This case and several others like that have displayed time and time again DCF's complete inability to work with other professionals. They simply take whatever information they want, systematically belittle and attempt to discredit anyone who disagrees with them, and make all their own rules. I have seen children illegally taken from their parent by DCF after DCF lost in court. They went ahead, lied to the parents, took the kids. All without a single court order. And have destroyed at least three lives because of it.

I really hope this is true.

Where are the watchdogs whose sole purpose is to make DCF play by the rules? Why do they get to do whatever they want with total immunity? Why do they allow workers in the field, in direct service with families and children, without actual clinical, psychological training? I hate to say it but there are a lot of people working for DCF - a state agency that pays really, really, well - who have no business at all working with these families.

Ulcer creation at its finest.