When you hear that a child was taken by CPS, what do you picture? Bruises? Broken bones? Something unspeakable? Here’s what the federal data actually shows. Roughly 3 out of every 4 children removed from their homes were not removed for physical abuse. Not for sexual abuse. They were removed for something the system calls neglect. And a child in a family earning under $15,000 a year is 22 times more likely to be flagged for maltreatment. 22 times. That’s not a parenting problem. That’s a poverty problem, with a case number attached.

This is the Father’s Advocacy Network podcast. I’m Adam Neuerburg. Today we’re pulling apart one word. Neglect. It’s the most powerful word in child welfare, and it’s doing a lot of hiding. Because when you look at what it actually covers, you start to see a system that treats being poor like being dangerous.

Let’s start with the numbers, straight from federal data reported through the U.S. Children’s Bureau. About 75 percent of removals are classified as neglect. About 12 percent are physical abuse. About 4 percent are sexual abuse. And about 9 percent fall into other categories. So add up physical and sexual abuse together, and you get around 16 percent. Meanwhile neglect, by itself, is about three quarters of the whole system. Now think about how this gets sold to the public. Every time there’s a hearing, every time there’s a headline, the system points to the worst cases. The horror stories. The child who was beaten. And they say, this is why we need the power to remove children. But that’s not what most of the removals are. Three out of four are something else. So the obvious question is, what is this thing called neglect? And who decides?

Because here’s the thing about the word neglect. Abuse is something a person does. Neglect, the way this system uses it, is very often something a family lacks. And a lack of money is not a crime.

Here’s what neglect actually looks like on paper. Listen to each one, and ask yourself whether you’re hearing a bad parent or a broke one. Inadequate housing. A home that’s considered unsafe, overcrowded, or without utilities. Often because the family can’t afford the repairs or the rent. Insufficient food. Not enough food in the house, or meals someone decides are inadequate. That’s tied directly to income and to access to food. Medical neglect. Not getting medical care, or not following a treatment plan. Often because of cost, transportation, or gaps in insurance. Supervisory neglect. Leaving kids unsupervised. Frequently connected to work schedules, and not being able to afford childcare. Educational neglect. Kids missing a lot of school, or not enrolled. Often linked to unstable housing, no transportation, or a child helping care for the family. And environmental hazards. Unsanitary conditions, pests, a house falling into disrepair. Those are symptoms of housing poverty, not of a parent who doesn’t care.

Do you hear it? Rent. Repairs. Income. Cost. Transportation. Insurance. Childcare. Every single category comes back to money. And notice what’s missing from that list. Hitting. Hurting. Cruelty. None of those words appear. The categories that make up the biggest share of removals in this country are mostly descriptions of what a family can’t afford. Picture this. A single parent working the night shift because that’s the shift they could get. No money for a sitter. The kids are asleep at home. In the eyes of the system, that can become supervisory neglect. That parent wasn’t out partying. That parent was at work, trying to keep the lights on.

Here’s the core issue, and it’s the sentence I want every judge and every caseworker in this country to sit with. In the eyes of CPS, there is virtually no distinction between a parent who cannot afford to feed their child, and a parent who neglects to feed their child. Both look the same.

Let that sink in. The system has one box. And it puts the parent who can’t afford groceries this week in the same box as somebody who just doesn’t care. And that’s why the 22 times number from the top of the show matters so much. Children in families earning below $15,000 a year are 22 times more likely to be flagged for maltreatment. If neglect were really about how much a parent loves their kids, you would not see a number like that. You see it because the system is measuring income and calling it parenting. So what does the system do when it finds a poor family? It takes the children. As if removal ever paid anybody’s rent. As if a foster placement ever fixed a broken furnace. And here’s the part that should make every taxpayer furious. According to our research, foster care costs up to 10 times more than keeping a family together. Up to ten times. The system will spend that money to separate a family, rather than spend far less to help the family fix the actual problem.

And understand, this is not a call to give these agencies bigger budgets. The problem isn’t the size of the budget. It’s what they choose to do with the money, the power they hold over families, and the fact that nobody holds them accountable when they choose wrong.

Now, who gets hit the hardest? Because this isn’t landing evenly. Black children make up 23 percent of children in foster care. But only 14 percent of the U.S. child population. Native American children are placed in foster care at 2.7 times their share of the population. And research has documented implicit bias, with higher reporting and higher removal rates for families of color.

So put it together. The families most likely to be flagged are poor. The families most likely to be reported and removed include families of color. And the label that does most of the work is neglect, a word broad enough to cover an empty fridge, a missed doctor’s appointment, or a parent at work. That’s not a safety system. That’s a sorting machine.

If you’re a parent of color listening right now, and you’ve felt like the caseworker walked into your home already expecting to find something, the data says you’re not imagining it. Higher reporting. Higher removal. Same label. That is a system problem, not a you problem. So what needs to change? Our research desk lays out a clear path. Redefine neglect in the law, so poverty-related conditions are separated from genuine parental neglect. Require a poverty screening before any removal for neglect, asking a simple question first: would providing resources solve this concern? Redirect the money already spent on foster care toward housing, food, childcare, and economic help, so families can stay together. Address racial bias, with blind review of removal decisions. And when a placement truly is necessary, put relatives first, and give them equivalent financial support. None of that is complicated. Ask whether the problem is money before you take someone’s child. That’s it. The fact that it isn’t already the rule tells you who this system was built to serve.

Now, if you’re a parent listening right now and CPS is using the word neglect about your family, here’s what you can do. This isn’t legal advice. FAN is not a law firm. But these steps can make a real difference. One. Get the allegation in writing. Find out exactly what kind of neglect they’re claiming. Housing? Food? Supervision? You can’t answer a charge you don’t understand. Two. Document everything. Every visit, every call, every name, date and time, and what was said. Write it down the same day. And get the full names of your caseworker and their supervisor. Three. Gather your own evidence that the problem is resources, not care. Your lease, your work schedule, your benefits, receipts, your kids’ school and medical records, photos of your home, and the names of people who know your family. Four. Request your records, and ask in writing whether resources were offered before removal was considered. If they skipped that step, you want it on paper. Five. If kids have to be placed anywhere, ask that relatives be considered first, and put that request to your attorney in writing. And you don’t have to do this alone. Go to fathers advocacy network dot com slash case help.

The full research report, with the federal data and every source behind it, is at fathers advocacy network dot com, in our foster care research section. If this made you angry, share it with one person who still believes CPS only takes kids from bad parents. Show them the numbers. And follow the show, so you don’t miss the next one. I’m Adam Neuerburg. This is the Father’s Advocacy Network. Let the silenced speak.