Every time a representative of Child Protective Services knocks on your doors, it is always a terrifying experience. A parent may feel powerless and overwhelmed. Typically, they are not warned that a social worker is going to pay them a visit.

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Often, a CPS or social worker is responding to an anonymous call regarding child abuse or neglect. If you have been contacted by a DCFS or CPS worker – or, worse, one of their representatives came to your house – you need to speak with a Los Angeles County child protective services attorney, Candace Jones.

 

If you do not act quickly or fail to protect your parental rights, the health and welfare of your child could be at stake. You wouldn’t want the government to remove your child from your care, would you?

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Annually, more than 3.5 million children across the U.S. are under a CPS investigation or receive an alternative response from social workers, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

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Every visit of a CPS or DCFS worker must be taken seriously regardless of how untrue or absurd the allegations of child abuse or neglect are. Most social workers who receive an anonymous tip of child abuse or neglect are convinced that one or both parents are guilty of abusing their child before they even get the chance to talk to the parents.

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Although they do not say upfront that they came to your house to remove your child from your custody, in most cases, they intend to do so. It is their job to remove your children from your home at any given opportunity.

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You deserve to know the charges that are being made against you. In fact, a social worker cannot simply tell you that you are being accused of “abuse” or “neglect.” Instead, the CPS worker is required to disclose detailed information about the accusations.

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Do not be afraid to write down the exact number of code of the law or ordinances that you are being accused of violating.

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You have a right to turn down a social worker’s request to come into your home if they do not show a warrant. You don’t have to comply with the request to let the child protective services workers in unless they have a valid warrant or court order.

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Call the police if the CPS worker is refusing to take no for an answer. The social worker does not have the right to enter your home unless there is a warrant or court order.

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It is advised to avoid speaking with CPS or DCFS workers without the presence of your attorney. It is understandable that you, as a parent, will want to prove your innocence and deny the allegations of child abuse or neglect.

 

However, it is not uncommon for social workers to twist and misinterpret the words of the parents, because, once again, CPS and DCFS workers are convinced of the parents’ guilt before they even get a chance to investigate the matter.When communicating with a social worker, the less you say, the better. In fact, you have a right to refuse to speak with CPS workers until your Los Angeles County child protective services attorney arrives.