Somebody called children's services and said I allowed my 15 yr. old son and his friends to smoke pot. Now they want him and ME to take a drug test. Can they do this without a court order?

Yes.

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Originally Posted by shygrneyzs

Yes.

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HOW?

Do not trust children services, period, for all the good they do, they are a dangerous group that will never investigate things they need to, but will often come after good families.
So he uses pot, let them call the police and arrest him if they have proof.
If they don't, they do have to have some level of proof.

If they are contacting you, get an attorney NOW.

I just started hearing bad things about children's services and am not happy. I just don't see how they can make us go to a lab and get drug tested over something some kid told his parents. There is no other proof. They want to come back sometime this week to talk to my husband and daughter who were not home at the time (last Thurs.) they came to interview my son and I. We both denied using any drugs. Our house was clean. They also looked into the kid's bedrooms and even had me open the fridge to see if we had food! It was crazy.

We are seeing the other side of the pendulum. For years children's services agencies have erred on the parents side and high profile cases where children have died because the local chidren's services agency didn't follow up properly have caused a swing to the other side. We can see that in another thread here about a SWAT team forcing medical treatment on a child.

Whether that can do it or not, without a court order depends on the powers invested in your local agency. I would consult an attorney who knows the laws for your area. But if you are concerned stand on your constitutional right to due process.

Thanks to everyone who answered. The person that was here last Thurs. from Children's Services called me today to ask if we'd taken the drug tests yet, and I said no. She said she would call back on Friday to see if we had, and to also set up an appointment for next week to see my husband and daughter. My husband keeps telling me not to worry, there is nothing they can do to us! He said he was going to tell her they are wasting their time on us, they need to find real child abusers! I wish I had his confidence. Anyway, I was hoping to hear from someone who has gone through a similar situation. Anyone out there who can speak up? Thanks!

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Originally Posted by anonymom64

thanks to everyone who answered. The person that was here last Thurs. from Children's Services called me today to ask if we'd taken the drug tests yet, and I said no. She said she would call back on Friday to see if we had, and to also set up an appointment for next week to see my husband and daughter. My husband keeps telling me not to worry, there is nothing they can do to us! He said he was going to tell her they are wasting their time on us, they need to find real child abusers! I wish I had his confidence. Anyway, I was hoping to hear from someone who has gone through a similar situation. Anyone out there who can speak up?? Thanks!

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Maybe it's a violation of your rights, maybe it's not - but if I were not using I would take the drug test and end the whole argument; if I were I would retain counsel. And, yes, Children's Services can go to Court and get an order for drug testing if they think there's a problem.

When I worked for law enforcement I heard I should stop bothering innocent people and go find the guilty ones all the time - that and that the taxpayers paid my salary and I should leave them alone for that reason.