DCF Protective Intake Policy

DCF has updated its Protective Intake Policy

Protective Intake Policy 86-015 updated June 22, 2020

The DCF Protective Intake Policy, which had a major update on February 28, 2016, had some additional changes that went into effect June 22, 2020. According to CPCS Attorney Laura Bouliane and Social Worker Julianne Dowd, "Despite some changes to the format and language used, the substance of the policy is largely the same."

The Protective Intake Policy Revised 6/22/2020 may be found here: www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-protective-intake-policy-june-2020/download. I hope to get back to this post and highlight the changes soon. For the moment, my favorite change is that is is posted as a searchable and copyable pdf instead of the page view image-type pdf of most of their other policies.

Shaken Baby Syndrome debunked (again)

Catching up on my podcast listening, I finally listened to and highly recommend:

Rottin' in Denmark blog's "Shaken Baby Syndrome" episode from October 8, 2018

Mike tells Sarah how an over-simplified diagnosis, over-confident doctors and over-zealous prosecutors got thousands of innocent parents thrown in prison. Digressions include food poisoning, Sherlock Holmes and 1950s medical ethics. Mike wanted to mention Louise Woodward but he forgot. 

Links!

Rottin' in Denmark - Shaken Baby Syndrome

Latest Mass. Juvenile Courts COVID-19 Order

The Massachusetts Juvenile Court buildings are still largely closed to the public due to COVID-19. They are taking cases by email and hearing cases both by telephone and videoconferences.

Here is a link to Court system response to the coronavirus pandemic:

Court system response to COVID-19.

Included is the Trial Court Help Line, where you can "call to ask general questions about their civil and criminal cases and [get] help ... navigat[ing] the court system."

The Juvenile Court COVID-19 FAQ's and Standing Orders are here.

Working From Home - Making Homes Safe

While schools have been closed and many service providers have resorted to virtual interactions my workload has decreased significantly.

Unfortunately that doesn't mean every one is safe from the things that bring clients to me or to the attention of caring professionals. Renée Graham highlights Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins' concerns that home may not be a safe place for victims of domestic violence or emotional, physical, or sexual abuse in this article:

When home isn’t the safest place to be

My career has been devoted to helping parents navigate the Massachusetts child protective services (CPS) system; repesenting them in cases when they have been reported to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) for suspicion of abusing or neglecting their children (51A), helping get their children back when DCF has taken custody (51B(c)) and filed care and protection (C&P) or termination of parental rights (TPR) cases, and more. Zealous advocacy on behalf of accused parents and other caregivers does not prevent me from recognizing that there are children who need protection, parents who need help to make life better for their children, and caregivers and domestic partners who do abuse and neglect their partners or children in their care.

We need to follow DA Rollins' advice and find ways to increase social connections, be a community of caring, and be lifelines for one another even as we maintain physical distance to prevent the spread of the virus.

Be safe, stay healthy, and be a good neighbor.

DCF Fair Hearings

The DCF Fair Hearing Unit has created a useful set of links regarding Fair Hearings.

The main page is here www.mass.gov/fair-hearing-unit.

If you already know you want to request a fair hearing, you can now do so using an online docusign form:

na3.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=909c4a80-0b8a-46c6-ae66-fc290b3cd01c&env=na3-eu1.

I haven't used it yet, so I don't know if it sends a copy to the Area Office or only the Fair Hearing Unit, but it seems as if it should have that capacity.

Their Guide to Fair Hearings is pretty comprehensive and seems to be written in plain English:

www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-fair-hearing-guide-2019/download.