Parents sue DCFS over removal of toddler from family |
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Parents sue DCFS over removal of toddler from family By Ofelia Casillas | Chicago Tribune reporter October 3, 2008
A toddler's parents are suing state
child-welfare investigators and police officers who took their daughter and
then forced them to have only monitored contact with her for days during a
child-abuse investigation, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
The 21-page suit seeking at least $50,000 in compensation
was filed Wednesday by lawyers for the Family Defense Center, a not-for-profit
organization based in Chicago that represents parents against the child welfare
system.
On Sept. 17, 2006, Nataleigh Evans took a tumble while
learning to walk and hit her head on a coffee table, the lawsuit said. When a
red bump appeared, her mother, Jennifer Evans, took her to a pediatrician who
made an allegation of abuse to the DCFS hot line.
Two child welfare investigators and two Tinley Park police officers visited the Evans home and found her "safe and well-cared for," the lawsuit said. Days later, DCFS social workers took the child from her parents for several hours. The social workers then, according to the suit, threatened the parents with the continued custody of their daughter and placement in a shelter "unless they signed a so-called safety plan restricting their custodial rights." This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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