Grace was arrested and the children were put into foster homes. It was to be another four and a half years of bitter court battles before Grace would clear her name and regain custody of her daughters. According to Dr. Marc Einhorn, a forensic psychologist in Atlanta, Ga., these types of cases are prevalent throughout child protection agency suits across the country. Einhorn has been involved in several hundred cases across five states. Einhorn said that Child Protective Services started in 1974 with the best of intentions.
Many states now have very broad definitions of abuse.
This leaves grounds for the removal of children up to the discretion of the social worker. Einhorn recalls a case he worked on involving a family in Salt Lake City. The family had four handicapped children, one being severely autistic. The parents decided to apply for Social Security benefits for the autistic child, and had him examined as a part of the standard application process. The child protection agency of Utah got wind of the application and removed all four children from their home.