Opening your front door to find an investigator from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) standing on your stoop can be a jarring experience. If you’ve never worked with DCF before, the process, the dos and don’ts, and the potential ramifications of an investigation can all cause stress during an already stressful time. First, and often quickly, you need to consider, do I talk to DCF investigators?
The most important thing to know about talking to DCF investigators in Ridgefield is that you have the right to have legal counsel present at all times while DCF authorities are investigating your home or interviewing your family members. With that said, here are a few other things to keep in mind during this stage of a DCF investigation, all of which a dedicated DCF defense attorney can go into more detail about during a private initial meeting.
In addition to having an attorney present, people talking to DCF investigators in Ridgefield also have the right to not talk to those investigators if they do not want to answer certain questions or provide certain information. If DCF investigators arrive for a home visit unexpectedly, the parties under investigation have the right to request that they come back later once legal counsel is present and refuse to let them into their home in the meantime.
It is also often possible to prohibit DCF investigators from speaking privately with minor children—or with other people in a minor child’s life, such as their pediatrician—unless the parent(s) or guardian(s) under investigation is present with their legal representative. Finally, people under DCF investigation have a right to know the nature of the allegation(s) made against them, although they do not have a right to know who specifically filed a report.
While all the rights mentioned above are guaranteed under Connecticut state law, it is worth emphasizing that DCF investigators in Ridgefield do not have to find objective, conclusive proof of mistreatment in order to find that allegations of abuse or neglect are “substantiated.” In fact, they are allowed to use someone’s refusal to answer questions or allow an interview with their children as possible evidence that they are trying to hide mistreatment from the DCF’s view.
This is the main reason why having help from skilled legal counsel is so important while talking to DCF investigators. With or without a lawyer present, it is vital to be as calm and cooperative as possible without offering speculative information or acknowledging any guilt. It is also rarely a good idea to sign off on any “parenting plan” or other document presented by a DCF investigator without first reviewing it with a legal representative.
DCF investigators are supposed to consider only the well-being of children without trying to manufacture evidence of abuse where there is none to be found. Unfortunately, even well-intentioned investigators can misinterpret evasive or unclear answers to questions in ways that may cause serious stress for you and your loved ones.
No matter what circumstances led you to talk to DCF investigators in Ridgefield, you should strongly consider retaining a lawyer before saying too much to anyone from the Department. Call Mark Sherman Law today for a consultation.
