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Heritage Defense, 2082 US 183, Ste. 170/224, Leander, TX (2026)

06/01/2026

Member Story: Hostile neighbor reported us to CPS

For months, a neighbor had been harassing the Bonham family. The same woman had already been arrested twice for harassment, had threatened the family on multiple occasions, and had threatened more than once to call CPS. There was even an ongoing investigation with the sheriff’s department over her behavior.

Now, it seemed that she had followed through with one of her many threats.

Maria immediately called Heritage Defense.

One of our attorneys spoke with her right away and walked her through what to do next.

Our attorney asked whether the children were presentable enough to be brought outside so the investigator could see them. Maria was helping a couple of the youngers children finish dressing and confirmed that they were presentable.

Our attorney also asked Maria about the allegations. Maria said that she never pushed her children, but that raising six kids on an acre of land included occasional chaos, and there was sometimes some yelling.

With our attorney on speakerphone, Maria brought all of the children outside so the investigator could lay eyes on them.

The investigator read the allegations aloud, along with notice about Maria’s rights as a parent. She then asked Maria why she thought someone had reported her. Maria explained the pattern of harassment from her neighbor and the ongoing sheriff’s investigation.

When the investigator said she wanted to come inside the home to verify there was food, our attorney advised Maria to take photos of the pantry and refrigerator and show them to the investigator instead. Maria also walked the investigator over to show the fridge and freezer in the garage.

The investigator appeared satisfied and left.

Within a few weeks, Maria received a letter from CPS officially ruling out the allegations.

When the case was closed, Maria shared her experience with Heritage Defense:

“It’s been great. We’ve had two other instances where we had to deal with CPS on our own, and having Heritage Defense was so much less stressful than before. It was so much simpler, even for a mother of six.”

The Bonham family never expected to face a CPS investigation from a disgruntled neighbor’s false accusations.

But when the unexpected knock came, they did not have to face it alone.

Heritage Defense exists to ensure families do not have to navigate moments like these on their own.

If you are not already a member, learn how Heritage Defense can protect your family from a CPS investigation by clicking the link in our bio.

05/28/2026

When can CPS take a family to court?

Once CPS has completed their investigation, when can they take a family to court? How much evidence is required?

In part, this depends on the level of evidence legally required for CPS to substantiate a report of abuse or neglect.

To understand this, we must examine what substantiation means in the context of a CPS investigation and then review the various levels of evidence.

What is substantiation?

Once an allegation of abuse or neglect is screened-in, CPS initiates an investigation, which generally involves a home visit and interviews with the parents and children.

CPS will then make a determination based on their findings.

When, in the judgment of the investigator, CPS determines that abuse or neglect has occurred, they will mark the case as “substantiated” (or “indicated” or “determined” in some states) and usually file it with the court to seek a judicial finding of abuse or neglect. This court determination is called an “adjudication.”

Thankfully, most Heritage Defense cases end without being substantiated and never reach the court because CPS determines they are unfounded.

But how does CPS decide whether to substantiate a case?

What are the levels of evidence?

The three most common levels of evidence used in the law are beyond a reasonable doubt, clear and convincing evidence, and preponderance of the evidence.

Most people have heard of the highest level of evidence in the law: beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard used during a trial for a crime.

The intermediate level of evidence is clear and convincing evidence. It is generally used in civil trials in serious cases like custody and guardianship.

Of the three, preponderance of the evidence is the lowest standard, and it is typically used in civil trials. Preponderance of the evidence generally requires that an alleged fact be determined to be more likely true than not. It is essentially a 51% standard.

But, as explained above, substantiation does not occur at trial. Rather, it is an internal decision made by CPS. So while preponderance is the lowest level of evidence at trial, it is the highest level that states require for substantiation. Over half of all states require preponderance or its effective equivalent.

The rest of the states require a lower and often less definite standard ranging from “substantial” or “credible” evidence weighed under the totality of the circumstances all the way down to a “reasonable cause to suspect.”

Why does this matter?

The level of evidence limits social workers’ discretion when determining whether to take a family to court. At least one study has unsurprisingly found a correlation indicating that higher levels of evidence result in fewer substantiations.¹ Thus, higher levels of evidence would protect more innocent families and children from going to court unnecessarily. Therefore, states receive higher grades for stricter levels of evidence, and lower grades based on how much discretion is left with CPS.

At Heritage Defense, we are here to defend your parental rights and help defend against unfounded allegations from being substantiated.

Learn more about the substantiation level of evidence in your state by clicking the link in our bio.

Please note that the above article is not legal advice. Member families with further questions can schedule a consultation with a Heritage Defense attorney.

¹ Nicholas E. Kahn, Josh Gupta-Kagan, & Mary Eschelbach Hansen, The Standard of Proof in the Substantiation of Child Abuse and Neglect, 14 J. Empirical Legal Stud. 333 (2017).

05/26/2026

Testimonial from a Heritage Defense member. To join Heritage Defense click the link in our bio.

05/20/2026

Member Story: Two months after giving birth, CPS was investigating me for child abuse.

The Halberts had been so vigilant about caring for their newborn baby boy, Jacob.* Within the first two weeks of his birth, they had already gone to two checkups with his doctor and almost everything was looking great. However, since Jacob was below his growth curve for weight-for-age, the doctor suggested that they supplement the breast milk with some formula.

After six weeks of supplementing Jacob’s diet with formula and two more visits to the doctor, Jacob was ahead of the growth curve and the doctor said there were no further concerns about his weight. That’s when the Halberts were contacted by a CPS investigator.

The investigator said she had received a report that Jacob was underweight and injured (neither allegation was true), and she stated that she “needed” to come into the Halberts’ home and perform a home inspection. The CPS investigator also “needed” to interview the Halberts’ other children. The Halberts politely said they would need to talk with their attorney first. The Halberts are members of Heritage Defense, so as soon as the investigator had left, they called the Heritage Defense 24/7 line reserved for members with urgent legal situations (note: we do encourage members to call us as soon as CPS arrives and before answering any questions).

Once the Halberts had spoken with an attorney with Heritage Defense, Heritage Defense contacted the CPS investigator. In the course of those communications, Heritage Defense pointed out to the investigator that a home inspection or interviews with the other children had virtually nothing to do with the allegations.

“It’s protocol,” she insisted.

Heritage Defense then asked the investigator what questions she intended to ask the children.

“Just questions that our normal protocol requires, which includes how they are disciplined, if there are guns in the home, have they ever been s*xually abused, do they get enough to eat, do their parents ever fight, etc.”

Heritage Defense pointed out to the investigator that none of those questions were related to the allegations and that pursuing the investigation in this manner treated the parents like they were guilty until proven innocent. After the investigator kept insisting on following “protocol,” Heritage Defense, on behalf of the Halberts, refused the home visit and the interviews. When the investigator threatened to go to court to get an order to inspect the home and interview the children, Heritage Defense made it clear that Heritage Defense would be there in court to fight it. Ultimately, though the investigator did prepare documentation to get a court order, the attorney for CPS refused to pursue it due to the lack of any evidence substantiating the allegations.

Once the opportunity to conduct an unnecessarily invasive investigation had been blocked, the investigator became much more reasonable. In the end, the family agreed to sit down with the investigator (with their Heritage Defense attorney) and allowed herto speak with Jacob’s doctor. Once that was done, CPS closed the case.

By the grace of God, the case was resolved without CPS ever stepping foot in the Halberts’ home or subjecting their children to unnecessary and traumatic interrogations, while the cost of their defense was provided by Heritage Defense.

The Halberts share their thoughts on the experience:
“We were blessed to join Heritage Defense near its inception. We joined because we wanted extra protection beyond what other homeschool organizations provided. Being a member of Heritage Defense gave us the peace that someone was watching our back as we raised our family in a Christian manner. The rubber really hit the road for us when a social worker showed up and wanted to come in our home and interview our children. From the moment we told her we had a lawyer and she took a step back, through the entire process, we were so glad we had joined Heritage Defense. Our Heritage Defense attorney walked with us and stood up for us and was able to help us get everything resolved with just a meeting with the social worker. We took it upon ourselves before we ever faced a social worker to learn what we could do to protect our family, and we encourage every other family to do the same.”

If you are a member of Heritage Defense, we hope it is an encouragement for you to know that your membership is going to help families like the Halberts. While we cannot guarantee outcomes, if your family is ever falsely accused of child abuse or neglect, we are ready to fight to defend you and your rights.

If you are not yet a member, please join today to have 24/7 access to experienced attorneys ready to defend your family.

This member story was originally published by Heritage Defense in 2018.

*Names changed for privacy

05/19/2026

Member Story: I got a call from CPS after tension with relatives.

The following account was written by a Heritage Defense member family we assisted.

Thank you for your help with our recent case. Our story began with a phone call from CPS, who cordially explained that they had received an anonymous tipoff with several allegations.

Though the caller was unknown to us, we had signed up for Heritage Defense some time prior, in part due to tension with relatives across broader situations.

Following the call with the CPS agent who requested we schedule a time to meet, I called Heritage Defense at the non-emergency line and soon had a meeting scheduled with a lawyer in our state.

We worked with credentialed friends and relatives to write letters documenting how we seek to raise our children to serve the Lord and prioritize their safety, well-being, education, and training with utmost priority.

Our Heritage Defense lawyer warmly supported our efforts and made himself available for questions and help throughout the hurried process before compiling them with photo documentation to respond to the allegations.

CPS continued to request a meeting after the documentation was submitted, at which point our lawyer spoke with the local deputy prosecutor about the next steps and then advised we decline to meet with CPS.

We received a letter closing the case within several days, dated a day or so after we declined the final meeting.

We are very grateful to the Lord for answered prayers, a cordial CPS agent, and the help that Heritage provided along the way. The CPS agent we dealt with seemed more reasonable than I anticipated given the many other stories of those who have fared worse, but nonetheless, this event led to much prayer and we were greatly thankful for Heritage’s support through the event.

Though we pray for no future such events, we plan to remain Heritage members for years to come, given the excellent counsel and moral support of having an intermediary to assist in communications with the county government. We encourage other families to join Heritage Defense, as trying to raise children with a Biblical perspective runs counter to culture. Heritage Defense has been a valuable tool for us in utilizing the blessed freedoms we have in this country to question government overreach.

If you are a member of Heritage Defense, we hope it is an encouragement for you to know that your membership is going to help families like this. While we cannot guarantee outcomes, if your family is ever falsely accused of child abuse or neglect, we are ready to fight to defend you and your rights.

If you are not yet a member, please join today to have 24/7 access to experienced attorneys ready to defend your family.

05/11/2026

Member Story: Teenage daughter calls CPS on parents

When their biological children had grown up and moved out of the home, Michael and Lisa Proctor* felt a call to rescue older foster children through adoption. They ended up adopting six older children out of CPS foster care, including a 7-year-old girl, Abigail, who had been labeled “unadoptable” by CPS because of her behavioral issues.

The Proctors struggled with Abigail for years. At the age of 15, Abigail began saying she wanted to see a counselor. As a former foster child, Abigail was eligible for a state-provided counselor, so the Proctors made her an appointment with one. The state counselor turned out to be a woman in her early twenties who, Michael and Lisa later found out, was struggling with her own mental health issues. Sadly, as the counseling sessions continued, Abigail’s already unstable behavior seriously declined.

Eventually, Abigail decided she wanted to become completely independent of her parents’ authority. Soon after, Abigail informed Michael and Lisa that she now identified as a homos*xual. Shocked as they were, Michael and Lisa told her they still loved her but refused to affirm her sinful behavior. They did not expect what happened next.

To retaliate against her parents for not affirming her sin, and to pursue her goal of complete independence from them, Abigail reported Michael and Lisa to CPS. Abigail claimed that Michael and Lisa had emotionally abused her and that it was making her suicidal, in spite of the fact that the Proctors had just taken Abigail to an evaluation by a mental health facility and the doctors there had cleared her.

Being members of Heritage Defense, as soon as the Proctors were contacted by CPS, they called Heritage Defense and were immediately connected with an attorney.

After Abigail’s report, CPS opened an investigation and was demanding to come into the Proctors’ home and separately interview each of the Proctors’ children alone. However, because their other adopted children had come through CPS foster care, the Proctors knew that letting CPS in for interviews would trigger serious trauma for them. These children had already been through multiple removals by CPS in previous homes, and re-awakening those memories and fears was not in their best interest. Moreover, the Proctors believed the interviews were completely unnecessary–the allegations were false and had nothing to do with the other children. The Proctors had worked for years to give their adopted children a sense of safety and security, and they did not want a vindictive CPS report destroying that in a moment. However, CPS kept pushing.

Heritage Defense’s attorney handled 100% of communications with CPS. He explained how completely unnecessary these interviews were and the negative effect they would have on the children. The attorney provided CPS with pictures of the family, pictures of the home, and reference letters from friends who were close to the Proctors. Even the CPS social worker who had helped Michael and Lisa go through the adoptions vouched for them.

In the meantime, Abigail had recanted and apologized for making a false report. Even more, she said, “I’m not a le***an. I don’t want to leave. I love you.” While not all of the behavior issues were over, this was a huge encouragement for Michael and Lisa to hear from Abigail.

After the advocacy by Heritage Defense, the next contact from CPS was two months later. It was a letter stating that the allegations were deemed unfounded and the case had been closed.

Michael shared this about their experience:

“CPS opened a case and wanted to interview all of our kids. We talked to our kids and none of them wanted to talk to CPS, they feared CPS and wanted nothing to do with them. We called Heritage Defense and from that point on we told CPS that they have to talk to our lawyer and Heritage handled everything. We later got a letter from CPS saying the case was closed. We are so very grateful to Heritage, you guys saved us from all the stress and pain. God bless you all.”

If you are a member of Heritage Defense, we hope it is an encouragement for you to know that your membership is going to help families like the Proctors. While we cannot guarantee outcomes, if your family is ever falsely accused of child abuse or neglect, we are ready to fight to defend you and your rights.

If you are not yet a member, please join today to have 24/7 access to experienced attorneys ready to defend your family.

*Names changed for privacy

05/06/2026

Member Story: I was reported for too few prenatal visits

Paul and Carol White* were very excited about the upcoming birth of their fifth child. Since all their previous children had been born at home, they planned to do the same with this delivery.

However, due to some potential complications spotted during an ultrasound, Paul and Carol changed their mind and decided to do a hospital birth.

Everything was going according to plan. Carol had gone into labor on schedule; she and Paul checked into the hospital; their baby boy was born; and everyone was healthy and happy.

However, once the Whites told the hospital how many prenatal visits they had done, the joyful atmosphere quickly took a turn.

While filling out paperwork after the birth, Paul mentioned that the pregnancy center they were using had closed down a few weeks before Carol’s due date. Since the delivery date was so near, Paul and Carol had decided not to try and find a new agency.

After hearing this, the hospital told Paul that they had filed a report with Child Protective Services. Their exact allegation was “Not enough prenatal visits.”

The hospital also told Paul that he and Carol were not allowed to leave the hospital yet with their baby.

Paul, alarmed at this sudden turn of events, quickly called Heritage Defense. We then engaged one of our local contact attorneys to handle the case.

The local attorney reached out to Paul and Carol. Paul told the local attorney that he had scheduled a follow-up appointment with a pediatrician to help satisfy some of the hospital’s concerns.

The local attorney advised Paul to let the hospital know this right away, since it should help alleviate the hospital’s main concern.

Paul spoke with the hospital about the appointment with the pediatrician. After hearing this and watching Paul’s and Carol’s care for their baby, the hospital told the Whites that they felt the baby was safe with his parents and that they would be discharging them the following day.

Paul relayed this to the local attorney, who then contacted CPS and updated them about the appointment with the pediatrician and that the hospital was discharging the family.

CPS responded to the local attorney, telling him that they still wanted to conduct a home visit and do an interview with the parents.

The local attorney made it clear to CPS that since the hospital did not think there was any abuse or neglect taking place, it seemed obvious that there was no need for CPS to investigate further. The attorney firmly declined the home visit and the interviews and requested that CPS close the investigation.

Only a short while later, CPS contacted the local attorney again to notify him they would be closing the case.

Paul and Carol gave their thoughts:
“Our local attorney was amazing. He did such a great job. He was extremely helpful and explained everything very well. The hospital made a report. The reason for the report was basically that we had not had enough prenatal visits. The hospital was saying some pretty crazy stuff about us not being able to leave. Y'all really bring peace of mind."

If you are a member of Heritage Defense, we hope it is an encouragement for you to know that your membership is going to help families like the Whites. While we cannot guarantee outcomes, if your family is ever falsely accused of child abuse or neglect, we are ready to fight to defend you and your rights.

If you are not yet a member, please join today to have 24/7 access to experienced attorneys ready to defend your family.

*Names changed for privacy

04/30/2026

Member Story: We were just driving on the beach

Joseph and Amy Belton were enjoying a family trip to the beach when an accident turned their vacation upside down.

Enjoying the sunny day, they were driving on the beach with several of their children in the bed of the truck with Amy’s parents.

Suddenly, the truck went over a small hill in the sand that was not visible until it was too late. The vehicle landed hard, bouncing everyone in the truck bed all different directions.

The grandparents and several of the children were injured. Joseph immediately contacted emergency services.

Several members of the family were taken to the hospital. Thankfully, all of the injuries were minor and everyone was recovering fine.

A state trooper asked Joseph and Amy a some questions and determined they had not been speeding or driving recklessly and that this was simply an unfortunate accident. No tickets or citations were issued.

They assumed everything was over until several days later when they got an unexpected visitor.

While the family was still dealing with doctor visits and recovery, a CPS investigator came to their home.

Joseph and Amy were not home when CPS first arrived. They were still out of town finishing up doctor visits with a couple of the younger children. Amy’s parents were staying with the rest of the Beltons’ children, so the investigator left a business card with them and planned to follow up.

Joseph immediately reached out to Heritage Defense.

One of our attorneys spoke with him that same day, walking him through what to expect and how to handle any contact with CPS.

We then contacted one of our local attorneys to represent the family.

Our local attorney then contacted the CPS investigator, who wanted to schedule a home visit, including interviews with the parents and children.

The parents chose to agree with these requests, so our local attorney attended the home visit and monitored the interviews, ensuring the investigation stayed focused on the actual facts. She then prepared a detailed letter to CPS, outlining exactly what had happened.

The attorney supported the family’s account with evidence as well as references vouching for Joseph and Amy’s parenting.

After reviewing the facts, CPS officially closed the case as unfounded.

Looking back on the experience, Joseph and Amy shared their thoughts:
“We knew what to do when this happened because we had that phone number. We just started there. Having someone ready to help and walk us through it made all the difference. Having a local attorney there with us was a huge comfort. We’re incredibly grateful.”

The Belton family never expected a day at the beach to lead to a CPS investigation. Heritage Defense exists to ensure families are not left navigating stressful moments like these on their own.

If you are not already a member, learn how Heritage Defense can protect your family when the unexpected happens. Click the link in our bio.

04/27/2026

Supreme Court rules for Christian counselor

Can a state prohibit Christian counselors from talking to minor clients about unwanted homos*xual desires? What about gender confusion?

The Supreme Court responded to these questions in the important case, Chiles v. Salazar, on March 31, 2026. The case involved Colorado’s conversion therapy ban, which was challenged by Christian counselor, Kaley Chiles.

Under Colorado law, “conversion therapy” is defined as follows:

“Conversion therapy” means any practice or treatment by a [mental health] licensee, registrant, or certificate holder that attempts or purports to change an individual’s s*xual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce s*xual or romantic attraction or feelings toward individuals of the same s*x.

(b) “Conversion therapy” does not include practices or treatments that provide:

(I) Acceptance, support, and understanding for the facilitation of an individual’s coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including s*xual-orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe s*xual practices, as long as the counseling does not seek to change s*xual orientation or gender identity; or

(II) Assistance to a person undergoing gender transition.

C.R.S. 12-245-202(3.5).

Colorado’s law banned all forms of conversion therapy for minors. However, it granted exemptions strictly for affirmation of homos*xual or transgender desires.

Ms. Chiles sued, arguing that Colorado’s law would restrict her verbal therapy as a licensed counselor and therefore violated her freedom of speech.

In an 8-1 opinion authored by Justice Gorsuch, the Supreme Court agreed with Ms. Chiles that Colorado’s law violated her freedom of speech under the First Amendment. The Court noted that, by specifically permitting only therapy that affirmed homos*xual or transgender desires, Colorado had engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. Only Justice Jackson dissented, arguing that rather than being speech, talk therapy is medical conduct that states may freely regulate.

The Court’s opinion is a win for parents who want to obtain biblical counseling for their children dealing with unhealthy s*xual desires.

Alliance Defending Freedom Allied Attorney Barry Harrington represented Kaley Chiles. Read more information about the case from ADF in a link in the comments.

This case will affect conversion therapy laws around the country, though it remains to be seen exactly how. Check the Law and Policy Vault to see whether your state has a conversion therapy law and what it says.

04/22/2026

Member Story: Our soccer coach called the police on us

Speaking with the police was the last thing Michelle Woods* expected at her daughter’s soccer game.

But that is exactly what happened.

Earlier that week, her 8-year-old daughter, Grace, had been at her homeschool co-op, where Michelle volunteers in the nursery. While playing on the swing set during recess, Grace’s name tag lanyard got caught under her neck as she jumped off the swing, leaving what looked like a rope burn.

Michelle had not seen it happen, but several other co-op adults had. When they saw the mark, they immediately informed Michelle of what had happened.

Grace was fine. No major injury. No pain. Just a red line on her neck and a story to explain it.

By the weekend, the incident was almost forgotten, until Grace’s soccer coach (a mandatory reporter) noticed the mark.

Without asking what happened, without calling Michelle, and without speaking to any of the other adults who had witnessed it, the coach assumed the worst and made a report.

Michelle had no idea.

So when two police officers approached her at the soccer field, she was completely blindsided.

The officers told her they were responding to a concern about an injury to her daughter. Michelle was shocked, but stayed calm.

She explained what had happened at the co-op, exactly as it had been explained to her.

The officers asked to take a photo of the injury, but Michelle, caught off guard, declined. She did not know what was going on, and did not know what to do.

The officers confirmed her name, phone number, and address. Then they left, telling her that there might be a follow-up investigation.

Michelle immediately called Heritage Defense.

One of our attorneys walked her through the following steps, recommending that she take a picture of the mark. Our attorney explained that we do not know whether it will be needed, but that it would be good to have.

Our attorney also said that it would be very helpful to obtain written statements from the co-op adults who witnessed the incident, ideally via text or email, and to ask them to include their phone number in case the authorities have questions.

Our attorney also informed her that she might hear back from either the police or CPS, but that if CPS became involved, she should call us immediately.

Still on the phone with our attorney, Michelle realized she had saved the police officer’s contact info.

Our attorney told Michelle to contact the officer immediately and offer to send him the photo of the injury and the statements from the other adults at the co-op. Or, if the officer needed to come in person to get the information, that would be fine as well.

Michelle called the officer and told him she now felt comfortable letting him take the photo. The officer came out and took the picture. By that time, Michelle had received several statements back from the other parents and teachers at the co-op, which she gave him.

A couple of days passed.

Then Michelle’s husband, Tom, got a call from the officer that the case was being closed.

The officer said the evidence clearly matched what Michelle had described. The injury was accidental, and the allegations were unfounded.

Michelle shared her testimony about the case.

“It was ridiculous. It was horrible. But I'm very grateful to Heritage Defense, because without your help, I don't know what would have happened or how it would have gone. Thank you so much!”

If you are a member of Heritage Defense, we hope it is an encouragement for you to know that your membership is going to help families like the Woods family. While we cannot guarantee outcomes, if your family is ever falsely accused of child abuse or neglect, we are ready to fight to defend you and your rights.

If you are not yet a member, please join today to have 24/7 access to experienced attorneys ready to defend your family.

*Names changed for privacy

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