My question involves child abuse or neglect in the State of: Oregon
I had my first ever visit from CPS. My husband sufferes mental illness which was misdiagnosed for years. He was on the wrong meds, and wrong diagnosis, so he progressively got worse, as expected with such a disease. He is now stabalized from what I can tell, (because he is now being properly treated) but before hand, I made a safety plan because I was scared. The plan was exposed when CPS got involved. Though my husband is not living in the home, before he received treatment, I was afraid. Not for my children, because he had never harmed either of them, but for me.
Long story short, he doesn't live in the home, has been abiding by the restraining order, but CPS wants to interview my children. Though there is nothing that has ever happened to the children so without a shadow of a doubt I know they would say they are fine and safe, I am concerned for these reasons: 1. CPS is insisting that I need to move NOW because he (my husband) has access to the home. The RO says that he can have visitation with the children, because again, I was (not the children) the focus of his illness. I have my safety plan in place and can exicute it at any moment, but I refuse to tell CPS what it is. 2. I am not sure if I have to allow them to interview the children, or if they have the right to make me leave the home until I have other long term housing set up. I do not work and he pays the house payment. Again, I have a safety plan should things go bad, but I do not see a crime here where the children can be taken. He is on his meds, getting help, and staying away. I am on alert, but I believe taking my kids from their actual home to a shelter until CPS is comforted by their mistakes, will do more harm than good. My kids well being is the focus for me, but I fear them taking my kids because of their errors in exposing my prior plan. As with any mental illness, you must be prepared, and I am. All the behavior was prior to treatment, there has been no new incidents. Though I still plan on moving forward with the divorce, should mental illness be punish my children? I am sick with worry, and the interview is this Friday. Please, any help would be a blessing. I've come too far to turn back now! I will not, nor will my children, be another statistic.

