DES MOINES – A proposed bill in the Iowa Legislature would seek to curb the onslaught of fake reports to DHS of child abuse.
Representative Ako Abdul-Samad and Senator Mark Segebart introduced the FUAN False Allegations Protections Bill to change CPS Tip Line from anonymous to confidential.
The purpose of this proposed change is to show connections to false allegations to the Iowa DHS Child Protective Services division in high conflict custodial divisions in order to hold those accountable of false reporting under Iowa Code 232.75(3) that we are currently unable to do with the anonymous call-in reporting system.
Currently, high conflict divorces frequently result in false reports made to DHS by or on behalf of one of the parties. Whether founded or unfounded, these reports often affect the accused party negatively in custody battles while the accuser benefits. DHS takes approximately 37-thousand calls a year about child abuse. Of that 37-thousand, about one-third of the reports are rejected right away because they don’t meet the agency’s criteria. On the other 25-thousand, when they send out an investigator, two-thirds turn out unfounded. This usually is the result of someone with a personal grudge trying to cause a problem.
“It is important to protect individuals reporting child abuse when they have a good faith belief that abuse has occurred. However, intentional false reports put children at risk by diverting resources that should be dedicated to protecting children who are truly at risk,” said Jerry Foxhoven, a Nationally recognized child advocate and former Director of Iowa DHS.
The introduction of Senate File 2148 and reintroduction of House File 373 would seek to recommend a legislative study into Child Protective Services call-in reporting line. It would also recommend change to the Iowa Child Protective Services in-call reporting line from anonymous to confidential by adopting similar verbiage to Connecticut’s call-in reporting script. This verbiage is found below:
The primary mission at DHS is to protect children, improve child and family well-being and support and preserve families.
You are protected by law from any liability from making a report in good faith, but please be aware, it is against the law to intentionally make a false report of child abuse or neglect. If you suspect that a child is being abused, neglected, or in danger of abuse, please stay on the line and your call will be answered by the next available social worker and please remember that all calls will be recorded. Thank you and have a good day.
Danielle Stevens and Damon Boline aught to be held accountable for their false claims against my wife and I along with the judge who is friends of the Stevens family and run a charitable organization together. It should be brought to everyone’s attention that good people do get involved with dhs on bogus claims when you’ve been the best mother and father and never allowed your children to miss appointments or to want or need for anything. Cared for them emotionally and keep their best interest in mind at all times. My wife and I have a story to tell and it will be heard worldwide. Dhs and the juvenile court system is Broken in Des Moines county!
I would love to hear your story. Is it posted anywhere? It takes a special kind of evil to endanger children by filing disgusting bogus reports against their loving parents. Anyone guilty of this should rot in jail along with kidnappers and sex offenders because they are just as bad.
I was wronged by dhs in 1999 and there on in 2015 they took kids without doing drug testing and waited month after at foster place my sister and took all negative but two year old positive for amephine but the numbers were none blank also dhs call led to fake arresting me to trick disability husband was released five mins in by sheriff brown and my lawyer came to me and called lawyers to take dhs to court but than lawyer said they will call in morning saying no finding if so let go but if they come back three mths later call me we will get em they did and took my kids we appealed our lawyers said had to sign in their office as nd we send it out we got denied on appeal cause stating they didn’t receive it til four mths later can help also called lab did daughter and do didnt say dhs did I said I need a copy of a two year old test result and told well we done no kids in over eight mths I said sure ya em than I said well got copy of dhs result for daughter than said found it than hung up what can I do to get them for there wrong doings
Isn’t that what Kim Gordon/Shelly murl have done in their custody cases each time? Like 2 or more false claims? False reporting coming out in the investigations and having to admit it? With no consequences to lying. False reporting should have criminal consequences. That alone is damaging to the children, a parent who false claims does not care about what the child is put through, child should be turned over to the other parent and false reporting parent face criminal charges and mental health treatment.