Many parents are shocked and confused when a Department of Children and Families (DCF) worker contacts them. A visit from the DCF can intrude on their lives and impact their families.
When the DCF contacts you, speak with a New Canaan DCF lawyer at Mark Sherman Law immediately. Our attorneys have extensive experience managing DCF investigations and shutting them down as quickly as possible.
Child abuse and neglect investigations begin with a report to the DCF. These can be called in anonymously at their hotline. In addition, Connecticut law requires many people, including health professionals, teachers, and law-enforcement personnel, to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the DCF.
Connecticut General Statutes §17a-101g describes the procedures for responding to a report. If it contains information indicating a child’s safety is at risk, DCF will begin investigating within 72 hours. Sometimes, an investigation will begin the same day.
In most cases, in-person contact with the child’s caregiver will be the DCF investigator’s first step. If an investigator comes to your home without prior notice, you are not required to let them in. Instead, ask to make an appointment for a more convenient time and contact a New Canaan DCF defense attorney immediately.
The DCF is charged with protecting children, and most of its workers sincerely believe in its mission. Unfortunately, this frequently means they treat parents as if they were guilty until proven innocent. Parents often inadvertently provide the DCF with information the worker can use against them.
At the initial meeting between the investigator and the parent, the DCF worker will ask the parent to sign releases to allow the worker to speak to your children’s doctors and other healthcare professionals, teachers, therapists, and anyone else they believe has useful information. The best strategy is not to sign the releases on that day but to ask to review them with your New Canaan attorney first.
If the DCF identifies an issue, it will often offer services, such as parenting classes, drug and alcohol counseling, and other interventions. Agreeing to accept services can keep the DCF involved in your family‘s life for months or years. Always talk to a lawyer before signing a safety plan or agreeing to services.
In most cases, the DCF closes an investigation after 45 days. If a safety plan is in place, a social worker will monitor the parents’ compliance until they have met their obligations under the plan.
Sometimes, the DCF worker will believe they have evidence to substantiate allegations of abuse or neglect. In that case, they can recommend that a parent’s name be added to the Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry and can seek to remove the children from the home or terminate the parent’s rights if the children have already been removed. This decision arrives by mail, and parents have the right to appeal.
Contact a New Canaan DCF defense attorney immediately if you receive a Notice of Investigation Results letter that substantiates an allegation or recommends placement on the registry. A legal professional can request an internal review and may submit more information to the DCF. If the internal review is unsuccessful, they can represent you at a hearing where the DCF must prove their decision to substantiate an allegation.
The DCF has a lot of power, and they sometimes abuse it. For your family’s sake, it is imperative to engage an attorney familiar with DCF procedures.
Contact a New Canaan DCF lawyer as soon as you hear from a child protection worker. Our attorneys at the Law Offices of Mark Sherman have extensive experience representing parents in these circumstances. Read our Avvo reviews to learn how other parents feel about us, and then reach out for help today.
