Under Connecticut state law, whenever the Department of Children and Families (“DCF”) opens an investigation into someone based on an allegation of child abuse or neglect, it must conclude that investigation within 45 days. However, whether that investigation ends with a “substantiation” of the underlying allegation(s) or not, the DCF can still stay involved in your life for several months after their formal investigation is complete.
Usually, this is done through the DCF’s “Ongoing Services” program, which involves constant monitoring of your home life, beyond the 45 day investigation, and can be very invasive and inconvenient. If you have questions about an DCF ongoing services case in Darien or want to explore your options for ending the DCF’s involvement in your life, a qualified DCF defense lawyer may be able to help in both regards.
In practice, Ongoing Services is something of a middle ground between the DCF dismissing an allegation of child abuse or neglect entirely and pursuing significant action against you through a neglect petition. If DCF investigators do not find enough evidence of mistreatment to justify a neglect petition but are still concerned about children in the home they investigated, they may keep the case open by transferring it to an Ongoing Services Supervisor.
This Supervisor has the authority to continue making surprise home visits, conduct additional interviews with household members, and put case plans in place, which parents or guardians in the household will be expected to abide by for anywhere from three to six months at a time. While people who are subject to DCF ongoing services cases in Darien are not legally required to cooperate with their supervisor, failing to do so will very likely result in the DCF filing a neglect petition against them. This could have much more severe consequences than cooperation with the Ongoing Services case plan would have.
For practical reasons, ongoing services cases in Darien must end if the family around whom the case is centered moves out of state, if the case is transferred to another agency within the Connecticut state government, or under any circumstances where the DCF loses legal jurisdiction over the matter. Outside of those scenarios, though, Ongoing Services may continue to monitor a Darien family until they are confident that no child in the household is at risk of abuse or neglect.
However, if the DCF delays in making that determination, a parent or guardian subject to the case may petition for a court to rule that Ongoing Services are no longer necessary. A knowledgeable DCF defense attorney can provide invaluable assistance with this process as a whole.
Much like learning that the DCF has opened an investigation into you, learning that the DCF will transfer your case to Ongoing Services after finishing an investigation does not guarantee that more severe sanctions are forthcoming. However, it is a step beyond a standard investigation that is worth taking seriously, especially given how much of an invasion of your privacy it may represent.
Whether you just want to understand DCF ongoing services cases in Darien better or need help petitioning for yours to end, a dedicated lawyer is available to assist you from Mark Sherman Law. Call today to learn more, and click here to view what previous clients have said about working with our team.
