DCF stands for Department of Children and Families. They are a Connecticut agency that investigates abuse and neglect of minors.
DCF investigates allegations of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, medical neglect, emotional neglect, and moral neglect.
A Connecticut DCF investigation lasts for 45 days and ends with DCF either substantiating or dismissing the allegations against you.
Yes. In fact, CT DCF prefers to show up at your door without notice. This gives them an opportunity to catch you off guard and prevent you from fixing up your home before they get a chance to see it.
Not at the moment they show up. You should tell DCF you want to first speak to a Connecticut DCF defense attorney to discuss how best to proceed and then get back to them. You have the right to legal representation, and it is an important right to assert.
A DCF Service Plan / Safety Agreement is paperwork DCF will ask you to sign that outlines certain conditions you agree to follow. For instance, DCF could ask you to agree to move out of your home, not be alone with your children without another adult around, or to engage in mental health treatment.
No. You are under no obligation to sign DCF’s paperwork. However, you do not want to just blow off DCF. If you do, DCF will escalate their involvement and bring get a judge involved. Any of Connecticut’s best DCF defense attorneys can help you strike the right balance to satisfy DCF without a safety plan.
It is not desirable to sign a service plan / safety agreement, but all is not lost. This is a binding contract, and not abiding by any of the terms can lead to DCF taking much harsher actions. Contact a top DCF attorney as soon as possible to work on a plan to modify the service agreement as soon as possible.
Don’t let a Connecticut DCF Service Plan / Safety Agreement keep DCF in your life. If you’re being asked to sign one or already have, contact experienced DCF lawyers who can work to get DCF out of your life as quickly as possible. You can see our hundreds of reviews from past clients here. Then call us today.