DCF Commitment of a child means that custody and guardianship of a child is transferred to DCF. For a child to be committed to DCF, there must be two separate court findings Adjudication of the Neglect Petition. A Juvenile Court judge must find that the child was neglected, abused or uncared for. This can…
Whenever DCF is involved there is always the risk that they might file a Neglect Petition in the Juvenile Court. Ordinarily, a Neglect Petition is filed when the abuse or neglect allegations are serious enough that DCF is attempting to remove the child (or at least threaten the child’s removal) or when DCF is trying…
Connecticut DCF Neglect Investigations usually start with a call to DCF from a mandated reporter such as a doctor, counselor or school personnel. The most common allegation is Physical Neglect. Physical Neglect is broadly defined as the failure to provide and maintain adequate food. clothing, supervision and safety for a child. Here are some examples…
I recently saw an interesting article in New York Times regarding child abuse and neglect. While the article does not focus on DCF Investigations in Connecticut it’s still worth a read. The New Child Abuse Panic – The New York Times
For DCF cases in the Stamford Juvenile Court, most hearings occur on Thursdays. Here is an overview: Orders of Temporary Custody In the most urgent of cases, DCF will remove a child under a 96-hour hold and then apply to a judge for an Order of Temporary Custody (OTC). For a judge to grant…
A DCF Connecticut Order of Temporary Custody (OTC) will be applied for when DCF believes that the child is serious danger and therefore the child should be immediately removed for their parents. Here are the different stages of a DCF Connecticut Order of Temporary Custody case: 1. Ex parte. DCF presents a judge with Affidavits…