A Connecticut Department of Children & Families investigation into you and your family is already overwhelming – but it’s even more serious when you are a teacher. A substantiation of abuse or neglect, or placement on DCF’s Central Registry, can be devasting to your license with Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood and to your employment. If you are an educator and Connecticut DCF contacts you, make sure your rights are protected every step of the way by calling any of the best Connecticut DCF lawyers attorneys.
DCF will typically receive a call to its hotline from either a concerned parent or a mandated reporter – like another teacher or school employee, a police officer, or a healthcare provider. Once DCF accepts the report of suspected abuse or neglect, it will send a social worker out to begin an investigation – usually within 12 to 72 hours. For more on what to expect in a DCF investigation, check out this post.
If you’re a licensed Connecticut teacher or childcare worker, chances are that DCF will notify your employer. While you may not be terminated right away, many schools will want to place you on administrative leave at least until DCF is done with its investigation. Any top Connecticut teacher DCF lawyer can help get the investigation closed as quickly as possible and work to save your job.
If the alleged abuse or neglect is against a student, they may want to speak to you, your employer, your co-workers and other school employees, the child or children involved, and their parents. DCF will be looking to see if (1) abuse or neglect occurred and (2) whether you pose a risk to the safety and welfare of children.
No, but a DCF case can lead to an arrest. While sometimes DCF investigations start because of an arrest, a DCF investigation itself is not a criminal arrest. However, if during any DCF interview the DCF worker thinks that you may have committed a crime, they will make a report to the police department, which could lead to a criminal investigation into felony Risk of Injury to a Minor / Child Endangerment. Because of this, it’s extremely important to have a top DCF attorney by your side whenever you speak to DCF or to any government agent.
If you are a Connecticut teacher or educational professional and are being investigated by the Department of Children & Families, do not make the mistake of trying to handle it alone. With your livelihood and career on the line, make sure to get help from an experienced team of DCF defense attorneys before speaking to investigators. You can review hundreds of certified reviews at Avvo.com here. Then contact us today.
