“I am still affected by it. To struggle all those years and then have a life and get it ripped right underneath me. I got it cleared from my name, but I’m still, you know, trying to get my life back.”
When Candice’s former partner became abusive, and the car seat holding her son fell off the bed, she called the police. He convinced them that Candice was violent as well and they were both arrested. DCPP was contacted and her son was removed. becoming involved.
Candice was promised she would be reunited with her son if she signed a court agreement that required her take parenting and anger management courses. What she did not know was that it would also lead to her name being added to the child abuse registry. “I didn’t even understand the paper. Nothing on the paper made sense to me,” said Candice.
In 2020, Candice learned that her job as a home health aide, helping clients with developmental disabilities, had been terminated as a result of the situation. Because the agency she worked for received DCF funding, new requirements mandated they run stricter background checks and Candice’s erroneous placement on the child abuse registry meant she was let go. Despite reaching out to the hearing unit for her case looking for answers, she was denied information or a hearing due to her lack of representation. “It was just a nightmare. … No answers or anything. … They wouldn’t give me anything until I was represented,” Candice explains.
Candice faced many obstacles on the path to getting her name cleared and her life back together, stating, “I am still affected by it,” to this day. She reached out to as many places as possible looking for help and representation, and was told no every time. That was until LSNJ responded and was willing to help her. With the assistance of her attorney, Candice’s name was eventually removed from the registry.