Sandra spends her weekdays split between working at a grocery store and cleaning offices in the evening. On weekends, Sandra tries to pick up extra work cleaning homes. This leaves little time for Sandra to manage her own home and look after Lucia and Ben, her 10- and 7-year-old children. Sometimes the dishes don’t get cleaned properly, the house is messy, and the laundry piles up. What’s even harder is getting the children to school on time. Due to excessive tardiness, absences and poor hygiene, the school contacted Child Protective Services with concerns of neglect.

Sandra is devastated. What can she do? She’s trying to provide for her children, but with three jobs she can barely manage to pay the rent and put food on the table. She can’t afford a housekeeper or after-school care. Now there is a risk her children may be taken from her.

Sharing her fears with a coworker, Alexia, Sandra finds that she was not alone. Alexia, herself a single parent, faces similar issues: “After my ex-husband and I got divorced, we started having big issues on our custody agreement. Making sure my kids’ needs were met was the only thing that mattered to me, but the lawyers don’t help and my ex keeps threatening to call CPS. I need someone who can work with the attorneys and help me understand CPS policy and procedure.”

Alexia and Sandra are both people who could benefit from the services that Color Me SAFE provides to under-represented individuals trying to manage their children’s needs. Color Me SAFE guides overwhelmed parents through the CPS process, aids them in working with schools, and taps into public programs that provide support for single parents

Tian, a financial advisor, and his wife Lin, a stay at home mom, provide a stable and nurturing environment for their children, Cindy and Tim. Both kids attend private school and are very involved in several extracurricular activities. One day, after Tim’s soccer practice, Tian takes Tim to a prominent shopping mall to run some errands. While there, the father and teenage son get into a heated argument about Tim talking back to his father. Several onlookers see Tian grabbing his son’s arm as the argument escalates and escorting him back to their car. The onlookers also notice that Tim has a dark bruise on the bottom of his leg. Worried for the boy’s safety, one such onlooker notes the family’s license plate number, type of vehicle, and descriptions and calls Child Protective Services (CPS) with details of what she witnessed.

A few days later, Tian and Lin are completely taken aback when they open their door to two CPS investigators who are looking into allegations of child abuse and neglect. Tian is horrified to hear of these allegations. Neither he nor his wife has ever hit or spanked either of their children. The bruises on Tim’s legs are in fact from his regular soccer practices. The CPS investigators warn Tian and Lin that if they don’t allow them to enter their home and interview their children, there is a strong possibility that CPS will have to take custody of the kids right now. Tian and Lin feel helpless and scared that they may lose their children.

In this situation, Color Me SAFE could help Tian and his family by guiding them through this unexpected family crisis. Color Me SAFE consults with families as to what their options are and what they can expect to see from CPS. Until the case is closed and the allegations are fully investigated, Color Me SAFE will be there to answer any questions you may have and offer possible solutions that will best suit your family.

Color Me SAFE is here to help you protect your most valuable asset.