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…
You might not have seen it coming because you thought DCF was closing their case. Or maybe you anticipated it because DCF was upset that you didn’t follow their recommendations and now they want you to answer to a judge. Here you are: You have been served with a Connecticut DCF Neglect Petition and summoned…
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…