Paperwork is supposed to restrain state power, not replace it. But across multiple states, courts, audits, and investigations have documented a disturbing pattern in child protection: forms treated like orders, signatures treated like shortcuts, and sworn statements treated like tools. When paper becomes authority, families can be separated first and given due process later, if it comes at all.

A child welfare case can be decided by what gets typed into a file. This “When Case Notes Lie” installment uses documented court findings to show how falsified reports and distorted records can fuel removals and rip families apart.