Jenny CaldwellChildress

HIPPAA violations. Multiple reports to Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board. Jenny Caldwell Childress was a counselor involved in my family/custody situation, and I have serious concerns about how her role affected my case. I reported concerns to her about my circumstances, but instead of feeling supported, I believe her involvement ultimately contributed to allegations being made against me. She made a CPS report concerning conditions in my home, including an issue involving a young rescued Corgi that was still being house-trained and marking inside. I maintain that the allegations were unfounded and did not result in CPS opening an investigation, yet information surrounding the report was later used in the custody proceedings against me. Childress has maintained that she was acting in her professional capacity and fulfilling her mandated-reporting obligations. My concern is that the boundaries between her role as a counselor, her role as a mandated reporter, and her subsequent involvement in an adversarial family-court matter became blurred. I have also raised concerns regarding confidentiality and the handling of my private information and have pursued those concerns through appropriate complaint and legal processes. From my perspective, her involvement illustrates one of the central problems I experienced in this case: a professional who entered the situation through a therapeutic role ultimately became a significant court actor whose actions had consequences far beyond counseling.

According to my experience, court counselor Jenny Caldwell Childress became involved in my custody case approximately 20 months ago, when I still had primary physical custody of my son. After I notified her that I was sick and could not attend a counseling session, she made a CPS report containing allegations that CPS investigated and found unfounded. Despite those findings, the allegations were used in connection with reopening my custody case. I also have serious concerns about her conduct as a counselor, including inadequate communication with me, giving my son a code word to request removal from my parenting time, directing my ex-husband to pick him up without first notifying me, refusing to tell me his location, making personal calls and discussing her own trauma during sessions for which I was billed, and failing to provide requested documentation supporting hundreds of dollars in charges. She knew that one of my animals was a therapy dog related to my disability, yet allegations involving my animals were included in the CPS matter. Since her involvement, my parenting time has been reduced from primary physical custody to approximately four days per month during the school year and alternating weeks in the summer. I am particularly concerned that Caldwell Childress is now represented by Paul Allan Young, the same attorney representing my ex-husband in the underlying custody case.

Lied on the stand Simi lied in depos Changed her story at final hearing Knew how bad my situation was but sided with other side