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Department of Children and Families LAW

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Understanding the DCF - Our Specialty

At a Glance

Massachusetts DCF has a $1.8 billion dollar budget. With that, they are supposed to investigate and address legitimate allegations of abuse/neglect of children. Unfortunately, many loving and caring families get caught by their broad net due to false, retaliatory, or mistaken allegations. During these challenging times, understanding DCF and what your rights are during an investigation are critical.

DCF Investigations

After a 51A Report is screened in, DCF conducts either an emergency or non-emergency investigation, making the initial days critical for taking control and getting the allegations unsupported….

DCF Assessment

After completing a 51B investigation, DCF determines whether allegations are unsupported, substantiated, or supported and decides if a DCF Assessment of your family is necessary….

DCF Fair Hearing

If DCF substantiates or supports allegations of abuse or neglect, you have the right to appeal through a Fair Hearing, a crucial process that can reverse their decision and protect your rights, family, and employment….

“There’s some things you can take chances with, one of them is not your children.”

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What to Look for in a DCF Attorney

  • Reputation: Check reviews and ratings on sites like Google. Good reviews often mean a attorney/lawyer is trustworthy. The imporance of looking at reviews is that DCF attorney/lawyer can do for you what they have done for past clients.
  • Experience: Make sure the attorney/lawyer has a lot of experience with DCF cases. They should know the ins and outs of these kinds of cases. A lawyer/attorney with a strong background in DCF cases can make a big difference.
  • Affordability: Ask if they offer flat fees or payment plans to make legal help more accessible.
  • Transparency: Look for clear pricing upfront to avoid unexpected fees.
  • Availability: Ensure your lawyer/attorney is reachable, especially in emergencies.

The DCF Journey

DCF process is often a long and arduous one. We’ve outlined the whole journey step-by-step so you will know where you are and what comes next.
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DCF must treat all allegations as if they are legitimate.

As a result, good families spend time, money, and energy fighting these wrongful allegations.

This often leads to situations where they must find help to return their lives to normal, and where we come in.

  • Screening 51A Allegations from mandated and non-mandated reporters.
  • Undertaking Emergency or Non-Emergency 51B investigations.
  • Contacting the reporter, relevant witnesses, and collaterals.
  • Determining whether to unsupport, substantiate, or support allegations of neglect or abuse.
  • Opening a family or institutional assessment.
  • Providing referrals and services.
  • Implementing safety and action plans.
  • Completing a written assessment.
  • Keeping cases open for review.
  • Overseeing Fair Hearings via DCF Fair Hearing Unit, which plays a crucial role in DCF appeal process.
  • Upholding or overturning investigation decisions.
  • Filing for Care and Protection of minors.
  • Foster care placement.
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Want to Learn More?

Understanding DCF is a difficult and arduous task, but we made it as approachable as possible with our Resource Center.

Explore our Resource Center for more detailed information regarding DCF investigation process and what DCF does when investigating and assessing MA families. If you’re concerned about DCF parental alienation or how to navigate these complex situations, then contact an experienced Attorney to help provide you a plan to navigate DCF. Avoid the traps and pitfalls others have fallen into that keeps their cases open for months to years.

The Law Office of Kevin Patrick Seaver has been a steadfast ally for thousands of clients since 1991, particularly in cases involving DCF parental alienation. Our extensive experience across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts enables us to effectively assist clients in getting allegations declared unsupported, assessments closed, and decisions overturned.

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Have a question? Ask our lawyers.

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