A parental rights advocacy group in Kansas was "floored" when the state child welfare chief admitted his social workers were being "bullied" into falsifying the reports that lead to children being taken out of their homes and placed in foster care.

In a meeting with Citizens for Change, Don Jordan, secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, had his comments recorded on tape: "In Sedgwick County oftentimes we end up writing things because it's what our social workers get bullied by the District Attorney's Office into writing."

Later in the meeting Jordan said, "I am working on our staff that we do our assessments properly and we not get bullied into writing things we don't believe. But then the reality comes down to, you send a 25-year-old social worker into a room with a 15-year county A.D.A. (assistant district attorney) who is willing to yell at them, cuss at them, scream at them and threaten them."

The reports Jordan was referring to, called affidavits, are official permanent records of a child abuse investigation, containing a social worker's summary of circumstances and interviews with parents, children and others who may have evidence of abuse.

Judges rely on the affidavits to determine the level of a child's risk and the potential necessity for removal into temporary custody or foster care.

Marlene Jones, a Wichita resident who contends her family lost custody of her grandson based on false information in an affidavit, was at the meeting where Jordan spoke. "I was so floored at what he said," she told The Wichita Eagle, "that this man acknowledged… he was aware of what was going on."

Vickie Burris, president of Citizens for Change, a non-profit group that supports families accused of abuse and opposes children being placed with strangers, said the recording of the comments was done by an observer, not a member of the group. Nonetheless, she told The Eagle that Jordan's comments confirm the group's suspicions, based on numerous complaints from families, that affidavits too often include false information.

Jordan has since sought to modify his comments and the use of the word "bullied," saying, "It was a poor choice of words. … I don't believe anybody's asked to perjure themselves or lie."

Deputy District Attorney Ron Paschal, who oversees juvenile cases in the mentioned Sedgwick County, told The Eagle that Jordan had called him to apologize. "He was pandering to this particular group," said Paschal, "He used 'pandering.' Those were his words."

Nola Foulston, the district D.A., called Jordan's comments "outrageous," and foresees fallout from the incident. "You can't un-ring the bell," she told The Eagle. "He's left the impression with citizens and individuals in the community that the District Attorney's Office is doing something we shouldn't be doing."

The fallout would come at a bad time for Foulston's office, which only last year came under fire for its involvement in Kansas' publicized "Tiller the Killer" case. Independent prosecutor Donald McKinney called Foulston a "loose cannon" who "unlawfully usurped" the authority of then-Attorney General Phill Kline for political purposes during the saga of George Tiller, a late-term abortionist who faced 30 counts of violating Kansas' abortion laws.

District Judge Jim Burgess, who presides over Sedgwick County custody cases, told The Eagle he has heard complaints of social workers getting pressured, but he's never seen any evidence of it.

Kansas State Rep. Jim Morrison told The Eagle that he's heard the rumors, too, and that concerns about child custody cases aren't limited to Sedgwick County. He was one of a couple of state politicians who actually praised Jordan's candor. "I think it's good that (Jordan) is as frustrated as a lot of people who are complaining," he said.