During a investigation, the child welfare system will typically contact your family if it determines that you have a child who needs care.
This can be for any reason from a child being neglected or abused to there being someone in your family who needs help. If the authorities determine that you need help, they will then turn to community members and organizations to help you.
Typically, people work with you on a case-by-case basis and try to find you a good fit. Most of the time, this happens when there is not enough money available to take care of you fully.
If there is an emergency and the authorities are not immediately notified, you can call 911 or DCF right away. Depending on where you live, these agencies may or may not respond quickly enough for your safety.
This article will talk about what information the authorities need during an investigation whether an arrest has been made or not.
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You have the right to review the evidence against you
Between the two of you, you decide if you will take the child home or return the child to the family for a review. You also decide if you will ask for a review or not.
You can also choose not to be interviewed by DCF if you agree to do so in court. This is called “cooperation.” You must agree to cooperate before they interview you.
If DCF interviews you, they may ask questions. Be honest and answer truthfully unless asked to answer differently. If there is something that needs to be changed, make it changeable- say that, not impossible- so it does not get in the way of their job.
You have the right to contest DCF custody or visitation rights
At the beginning of a DCF investigation, the parents are asked if they want to be interviewed by a caseworker. If the parents agree, the caseworker goes to their home and interviews them about them.
The caseworker can ask any questions. She or he does not have to answer any questions. It is up to the parent who has custody or visitation rights to make a case for who should have custody or visitation rights.
Some things the parent can say may be: “My child is most important thing in my life, so I want him or her back.” Or: “My ex-husband has been abusing my child and I feel guilty because I didn’t know about it until now.”
If one of these statements were false, then it could be considered lying to a government agency.
You have the right to a fair and speedy trial
During a criminal investigation, the authorities may contact you for questioning or speaking to you via phone or email. This can happen before or after the police interview you.
If the police ask you about a place or person they think may be involved in crime, like a home or yard where drugs are sold, you have the right to refuse to comment until you see evidence that someone is guilty.
You can also refuse to answer questions if you are not sure who is honest who is telling the truth and who isn’t. For example, if one person says that there was an intruder while the other says that they saw nothing and nobody called them, then there is definitely an intruder because they said they saw something.
Even though it might look like two people are just talking over each other, there is still evidence of a lie which was questioned.
You have the right to keep your family together
During a DCF investigation, you can protect your family by calling a lawyer. This is very important because of all the information that can be used against you during the investigation.
Many times, investigators will use tactics to pressure you into making a decision in their favor. If you do not cooperate with their request, they may turn to another option to help reunite your family.
If there is sufficient evidence for DCF to place you and your children in a home, then most likely the home will be an abandoned one. There are two reasons why this homes seem so bad: there is no parent around to explain what’s going on in them and there has been no attempt at fixing them up.
If possible, try going to the authorities and explaining what’s happening before it gets out of controlHTTP://WWW.CELESTIALREUNION.COM/DCDCF-INVESTIGATION-16/10/what_are_my_rights_during_a_dcf-investigationhttp://www .celestialreunion.com/dcdcf-investigation10/what-are-my-rights-during-a-.
You have the right to a neutral evaluation of your parenting skills
During a DCF investigation, you have the right to be evaluated by a qualified party without the threat of child abuse or neglect allegations that can influence your case.
If your child has been behaviorally discharged from care, you have the right to be evaluated by a qualified behavioral specialist rather than being subjected to unsubstantiated assumptions about your parenting skills by an investigator.
If there are allegations of physical or sexual abuse, you have the right to be evaluated by a qualified behavioral specialist rather than being subjected to unsubstantiated assumptions about your parenting skills by an investigator.
If there are allegations of medical or developmental problems, you have the right to be evaluated by a qualified behavioral specialist rather than being subjected to unsubstantiated assumptions about your parenting skills by an investigator.
When one party in a family has taken advantage of another party in order to gain information for an investigation, it is called exploitation.
You have the right to receive services before going to court
When a government agency such as the Department of Children and Families is investigating you for child welfare, they will typically put you in a safe place until the investigation is over.
This means that they do not want your family members or anyone involved in the investigation coming into contact with you until it is over. If your family members are involved in child welfare investigations, then they may be taken into custody as well.
It is very important that you understand your rights during a DCF investigation and that you use them. For example, if your family member is facing charges, make sure that you are present to defend yourself. It is also important to tell the DCF investigator what services your family member needs during this investigation and how they can help themselves.
You have the right to know what your child told DCF
During a DCF investigation, you have the right to know what your child said and showed during the investigation. This includes being allowed to read text messages and emails, having access to photographs, recording devices, and other evidence used in the investigation.
Some evidence may be sensitive, such as a video or audio recording of an interaction between a parent and a child. If a video or audio recording is present, you have the right to see it.
You also have the right to ask for any changes to the report or for another investigation. You also have the right to review copies of reports if you are charged with child abuse or neglect.
You have the right to a cross-examination of your child
At the beginning of a DCF investigation, you have the right to have your questions answered by a caseworker or investigator.
The caseworker or investigator can ask you any question that is related to your child’s investigation. For example, the investigator can ask if your child has been treated well in another home and whether you are happy with the supervision at this home.
The caseworker or investigator can also ask you what kind of homes your child has been in and whether there have been any problems with the people living there.