Mental health workers criticize Texas child services

SAN ANTONIO — Mental health workers sent to help care for the women and children removed from a polygamist sect's West Texas ranch are criticizing Child Protective Services, saying the state's decision to seek custody of the children was unnecessary and traumatizing.

In a set of unsigned written reports made at the request of their regional governing board, workers with Hill Country Community Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center said that the CPS investigation of suspected child abuse and its decision to seek state custody of all 464 children punished mothers who appeared to be good parents of healthy, emotionally normal kids, the San Antonio Express-News reported for its Sunday editions.

"The mothers are incredibly loving and patient with the children. The children were well-socialized and well-behaved and interacted willingly and happily with us," one wrote.

Another wrote, "The children were sweet and well-mannered upon our arrival. They obeyed their mothers and appeared to be healthy and well-nourished. They had none of the traditional withdrawal common in abused children."

A board member provided the newspaper copies of the nine reports by MHMR employees. The reports reveal varying degrees of anger toward the state's child welfare agency for removing the children from their community, separating them from their mothers or for the way CPS workers conducted themselves at the shelter.

A sexual abuse complaint prompted an April 3 search of the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, a compound built to house members of a breakaway sect called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Children were swept from the ranch and placed in a shelter in San Angelo's coliseum before they were sent later that month to foster care facilities across the state.

"The entire MH support staff was 'fired' the second week; we were sent home due to being 'too compassionate,"' one report stated.

The state has said that enough evidence of "spiritual marriages," pregnancy and childbirth by underage girls at the ranch exists to seek permanent removal of all the children from their parents because of the risk of child abuse.

In order to respond to the allegations, CPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins asked for a list of written questions and replied with a two-sentence e-mail Thursday: "We have received no complaints from Hill Country MHMR. However, we will be looking into what are obviously very serious allegations, and sharing these allegations with other agencies as appropriate."

He said Friday that the agency had no further response.