The Legally Kidnapped blog is dedicated to exposing the Child Protective “Industry” for what it really is. It also has a state-by-state directory of resources – The Legally Kidnapped Help Desk -  for parents who are accused of child abuse or neglect, families fighting to get their children out of foster care, and family rights advocates who are working to fix the mess known as CPS.

Each week, child protective agencies (CPS) in the United States receive more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In 2007, approximately 5.8 million were involved in an estimated 3.2 million child abuse reports and allegations. Of those, a purported 1 million are false reports. More than half of the victims experience neglect, 20% experience physical abuse, 10% experience sexual abuse, and about 7% experience emotional abuse.

The child protective industry is failing to combat child abuse at its roots. An estimated 8.5 million children in America live in poverty and another 5.5 million in extreme poverty. Nearly 35 million Americans live in hungry or “food-insecure” households.

Child protection needs to go beyond attempting to protect the estimate 1000-plus children that are killed every year. It involves more than responding to allegations of child abuse, which some estimates place at are 20% malicious and false alarms, and focus on the reasons why there is such instability in households across America. More focus needs to be put on family preservation services such as food and housing assistance or services to help parents of children with special needs so that the children can stay in the home or be placed with a relative.

“The foster care system is no better or safer than an abusive home. Often times, it’s much worse.”

Visit Legally Kidnapped to find out more about CPS’ shortcomings.