tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32445329739366813872024-03-02T12:29:09.107-05:00The Law Office of Michael L. RichExperienced Massachusetts Attorney Concentrating in Children's and Family LawZensho Martin Harahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911257858994892587noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-41251982714502679522023-07-06T10:40:00.000-04:002023-07-06T10:40:36.371-04:00Homeless Youth HandbookThe
<b><a href="https://massappleseed.org/" target="_blank">Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice</a></b>
has published a handbook for unhoused youth. <div><br /></div><div>The
<a href="https://www.homelessyouth.org/en/us/massachusetts" target="_blank"><b><i>Homeless Youth Handbook</i></b></a>
contains the following chapters:</div><div><br /></div><div>Safety and Stability</div><div>Police Interactions</div><div>Status
Offenses</div><div>Foster Care</div><div>Turning 18</div><div>Housing and Contracts</div><div>LGBTQ+</div><div>Education and Schools</div><div>Employment </div><div>General Criminal Law</div><div>Healthcare and Medical Rights</div><div>Mental Health and
Substance Abuse</div><div>Birth Control, Abortion, and Pregnancy</div><div>Dating and Domestic
Violence</div><div>Identification</div><div>Consumer and Credit</div><div>Public Benefits</div><div>Going to Court and
General Civil Law</div><div>Immigration & Undocumented Youth</div><div>Trafficking</div><div><br /></div><div>The first time you open the <a href="https://www.homelessyouth.org/en/us/massachusetts" target="_blank">Handbook</a> a general <a href="https://www.homelessyouth.org/en/disclaimer" target="_blank">disclaimer</a> pops up with a specific head note:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote>Disclaimer: On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion. The ruling leaves it to the individual states to decide whether to protect the right to an abortion. The HYH has not yet been updated to address these recent developments. We are working on updates.</blockquote><p>You can access the <a href="https://www.homelessyouth.org/en/disclaimer" target="_blank">disclaimer</a> on subsequent visits by going to <a href="https://www.homelessyouth.org/en/disclaimer" target="_blank">www.homelessyouth.org/en/disclaimer</a>.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.homelessyouth.org/en/us/massachusetts" target="_blank">Handbook</a> seems to be a great resource. <a href="https://massappleseed.org/" target="_blank">Mass Appleseed's</a> June update newsletter says, "If your organization is interested in receiving a training on the Homeless Youth Handbook, <a href="mailto:kayla@massappleseed.org" target="_blank">reach out to our staff</a>! </p>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-36304141612252420962023-06-15T11:53:00.002-04:002023-06-15T11:53:57.843-04:00SCOTUS: ICWA constitutionalThe U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act in <i>Haaland v. Brackeen</i>. ICWA wins by a 7-2. The majority opinion was written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Justice Gorsuch wrote a concurring opinion. Justices Thomas and Alito dissented.
Here is a link to the PDF: <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-376_7l48.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-376_7l48.pdf</a>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-74122797884414716382022-09-09T13:16:00.000-04:002022-09-09T13:16:01.679-04:00IL Court rules that parents have a right to obtain their child’s full electronic medical record<p><a href="http://FamilyJustice.org" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://FamilyJustice.org" target="_blank">The Family Justice Resource Center</a> </span>reports in its <a href="https://06ff468c-68ff-4026-af59-029078bc25b2.usrfiles.com/ugd/06ff46_82086e3a834d41a48fde52bd5cf8efa1.pdf" target="_blank">Summer 2022 Newsletter</a>:</p><blockquote><p>In a new Circuit Court ruling (Cook County IL), Prieto v. Rush University
Medical Center, Judge James N. O'Hara ruled that parents have a right to
obtain their child’s full EMR and that a hospital’s failure to release a full EMR,
complete with the audit log and revision history, is a violation of the Supreme
Court’s discovery rules, as well as federal information blocking regulations.</p></blockquote><p>It addresses the issues that come up in child abuse cases when hospitals refuse to give parents access to their children's electronic medical record once the child protection team becomes involved or a report has been made to the government child protective services agency. The article says that under HIPAA and HITECH "Parents are entitled to their child’s EMR as long as parental rights have not
been terminated." I believe the federal CURES Act highlights and broadens parents' rights to obtain and share their children's complete EMR.</p><p>Often the records that medical providers give to parents or their attorneys in response to release authorizations and to courts in response to subpoenas are incomplete and inaccurate, leaving out statements that do not support the allegations of abuse and entries that were subsequently edited out or amended.</p><p>Practice note: Attorneys for all parties in care and protection (dependency) cases need to seek the full EMR including audit trails.</p>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-25388522827251831162022-01-28T13:44:00.002-05:002022-01-28T13:44:36.744-05:00Family Integrity & Justice Works<p>I just read some of the articles and reviews of the inaugural issue of <i>The Family Integrity & Justice Quarterly Journal</i><i -webkit-font-smoothing:="" 0px="" 255="" antialiased="" background:="" border:="" box-sizing:="" color:="" f3d="" font-family:="" inherit="" initial="" margin:="" none="" nunito="" outline:="" padding:="" rgb="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #231f3d;">, </i><span -webkit-font-smoothing:="" 0px="" 255="" antialiased="" background:="" border:="" box-sizing:="" color:="" f3d="" font-family:="" inherit="" initial="" margin:="" none="" nunito="" outline:="" padding:="" rgb="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #231f3d;">the publishers of which describe it as:</span><i -webkit-font-smoothing:="" 0px="" 255="" antialiased="" background:="" border:="" box-sizing:="" color:="" f3d="" font-family:="" inherit="" initial="" margin:="" none="" nunito="" outline:="" padding:="" rgb="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #231f3d;"> </i></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #231f3d; font-family: Nunito; font-size: 17.616px;"></span><blockquote>a forum for bold, actionable movement toward replacing many traditional child welfare approaches that do not support family unity and strengthening with approaches that focus on preventing the need for child welfare involvement by keeping families safely together.</blockquote><p>I highly recommend it, as do several of my colleagues. I look forward to reading the rest of the first issue and expect future issues will be as on point for my practice as the first. See more and the free, peer reviewed, journal <a href="https://fijw.pubknow.com/quarterly-journal/" target="_blank">here</a>: <a href="https://fijw.pubknow.com/quarterly-journal/" target="_blank">fijw.pubknow.com/quarterly-journal/</a></p><p></p>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-12819925973327366512021-09-30T10:23:00.001-04:002021-10-15T17:19:28.604-04:00PARENT GUIDE TO SCHOOL DISCIPLINE<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law & Justice has released the comprehensive-seeming "PARENT GUIDE TO SCHOOL DISCIPLINE: WHEN MY CHILD IS DISCIPLINED AT SCHOOL, A Guide for Massachusetts Families."<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">massappleseed.org/projects/parent-guide-en/</a></div>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-2592139638442794462021-03-30T10:53:00.000-04:002021-03-30T10:53:43.024-04:00Mass. Mandated Reporting Law under consideration<p><a href="https://commonwealthmagazine.org/" target="_blank">The CommonWealth Magazine</a> article, </p><h1 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: thesansbold, "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 2.6em; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 54.6px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://commonwealthmagazine.org/courts/state-considering-major-expansion-of-child-abuse-reporting-laws/" target="_blank">State considering major expansion of child abuse reporting laws </a></h1><div style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 35px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="https://commonwealthmagazine.org/courts/state-considering-major-expansion-of-child-abuse-reporting-laws/" style="background-color: white; color: #777777; font-family: thesanssemibold, "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.5px;" target="_blank">Proposal raises fears of racial disproportionality </a><span style="color: #777777; font-family: thesanssemibold, Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 1.4em; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.5px;">, </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Shira Schoenberg</a>, March 29, </span>2021</div><p style="text-align: left;">takes a close look at both sides of the proposal to add more categories</p><p style="text-align: left;">to the Massachusetts list of people who are required to report to DCF</p><p style="text-align: left;">when they suspect children are being abused or neglected.</p><div><br /></div><div>See the current list Mandated Reporters <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">here</a>: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Mass. General Laws </a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Chapter 119, section 21</a>. This subsection tells when mandated</div><div><br /></div><div>reporters "<b>in [their] professional capacity</b>" are required to </div><div><br /></div><div>"immediately communicate with the department orally and, </div><div><br /></div><div>within 48 hours, shall file a written report with the </div><div><br /></div><div>department detailing the suspected abuse or neglect":</div><div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 35px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><blockquote>reasonable cause to believe that a child is suffering physical or emotional injury resulting from: (i) abuse inflicted upon him which causes harm or substantial risk of harm to the child's health or welfare, including sexual abuse; (ii) neglect, including malnutrition; (iii) physical dependence upon an addictive drug at birth, ... or (iv) being a sexually exploited child; or (v) being a human trafficking victim as defined by section 20M of chapter 233. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Mass. Gen. Laws c. 119, sec. 51A(a)</a> </blockquote><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Section 51B</a>, the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">DCF 2009 Intake Regulation</a>, and <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">DCF's 2020 Protective Intake Policy</a> lay out what DCF is supposed to do when it receives a 51A report of child abuse or neglect. Yes, there are unresolved discrepancies between the policy, which are DCF's directions to its employees, and the earlier regulation, which has the force of law. For these reasons, the significance of the consequences of becoming involved in the DCF investigation / intake process, and reasons set out in my 2012 post, "<a href="https://michaelrichlaw.blogspot.com/2012/08/when-dcf-comes-calling-how-to-try-to.html" target="_blank">When DCF Comes a-Calling: How to Try to Stay Out of the Fire When You're Already in the Frying Pan</a>" you should definitely consider seeking counsel if someone tells you they are reporting you to DCF or if you get a call or visit from DCF. If you cannot afford and attorney, seek out a Legal Services program for free representation</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 35px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; position: relative;">If, after reading the above and maybe also "<a href="https://www.mass.gov/service-details/mandated-reporter-commission-status-report" target="_blank">The Mandated Reporter Commission Status Report to the Legislature, December 28, 2020</a>," you have an opinion on whether the definitions of "mandated reporter," "abuse," "neglect," when things must be reported to DCF, what protections people who report to DCF should have, and what rights and remedies people should have when they have been reported to DCF, consider contacting your <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Members/House" target="_blank">State Representative</a> or <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Members/Senate" target="_blank">State Senator</a> to inform them. If you don't know who they are, use <a href="https://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx" target="_blank">this form from the Secretary of the Commonwealth</a> to find out.<br /><br /><br /><p> </p></div></div>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-46293518891225405132021-02-19T17:24:00.000-05:002021-02-19T17:24:09.993-05:00The Prosecutor's Story<b>Prosecutors say that they only charge people when they have a strong case.</b><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Is it true?</li><li>Is it trash talk, like that of basketball players?</li><li>Is it legitimate public relations?</li><li>Is it a form of jury tampering? </li></ul>I was listening to a former federal prosecutor recently discussing whether the twice-impeached, former POTUS would be prosecuted for his criminal behavior. I want exPOTUS45* to be held responsible for the many harms he has caused and his civil, moral, and criminal misdeeds. I was a bit disheartened by the commentator's presentation, which seemed to say that there was a less than 100% chance of some of the prosecutions I hope to see.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, my defense attorney conscience kicked in and asked me the questions above.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the presumption of innocence set out in our <b><i><a href="https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript" target="_blank">Bill of Rights</a></i></b> and taught as an essential part of our government legal systems, jurors and even judges often come to the process of adjudicating the facts of a case with an assumption that the defendant wouldn't be here, the government wouldn't have brought a case against them, law enforcement personnel wouldn't have arrested them, child protective services wouldn't have taken their children away, if they didn't do anything wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div>I suppose it's natural for people who have never been wrongly accused or who have been taught in school or by popular media that law enforcement personnel follow the law and the evidence and, like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, "always get their man," to believe <i>where there's smoke, there's fire</i> or <i>when there's a case something bad happened</i>. Hearing the prosecutors' drumbeat that they won't charge without a strong case made me worry that it would overwhelm the presumption of innocence for most audiences. It would be consistent with their preconceived notions of justice and the legal system.</div><div><br /></div><div>The concept of <b>confirmation bias</b> says that people more readily accept ideas that are consistent with what they already believe. The concept of <b>cognitive dissonance</b> says that people tend to reject ideas that do not conform to their preconceived notions.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think it would be improper for a prosecutor to include an assertion about the inherent strength of a case in an opening statement or closing argument. It may even be improper to ask a witness a question that would produce such a self-affirming response.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>But doesn't the statement have a similar effect, of degrading the presumption of innocence, when the vast majority of jurors and judges hear it or read it every day from the news sources they seek out and trust?</b></div>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-88886183451269992552020-06-26T18:28:00.001-04:002020-06-26T18:28:32.902-04:00DCF Protective Intake Policy<h2>
DCF has updated its Protective Intake Policy</h2>
<h3>
Protective Intake Policy 86-015 updated June 22, 2020</h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">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 <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Attorney Laura Bouliane and Social Worker Julianne Dowd, "</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Despite some changes to the format and language used, the substance of the policy is largely the same."</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The </span><a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-protective-intake-policy-june-2020/download" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Protective Intake Policy Revised 6/22/2020</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> may be found </span><a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-protective-intake-policy-june-2020/download" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: </span><a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-protective-intake-policy-june-2020/download" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-protective-intake-policy-june-2020/download</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. 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.</span></div>
MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-67042265610116378872020-06-07T18:30:00.000-04:002020-06-07T18:30:44.354-04:00Shaken Baby Syndrome debunked (again)Catching up on my podcast listening, I finally listened to and highly recommend:<br />
<br />
<u>Rottin' in Denmark</u> blog's "Shaken Baby Syndrome" episode from October 8, 2018<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: museo-sans-1, museo-sans-2, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="s1" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">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. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: museo-sans-1, museo-sans-2, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Links!</div>
</blockquote>
<a href="https://rottenindenmark.org/2018/10/08/shaken-baby-syndrome/" target="_blank">Rottin' in Denmark - Shaken Baby Syndrome</a>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-258773337516640442020-03-26T12:56:00.000-04:002020-06-07T18:49:40.798-04:00Latest Mass. Juvenile Courts COVID-19 OrderThe 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.<br />
<br />
Here is a link to Court system response to the coronavirus pandemic:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.mass.gov/guides/court-system-response-to-covid-19" target="_blank">Court system response to COVID-19</a>.<br />
<br />
Included is the <a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/get-general-court-information-through-the-trial-court-help-line" target="_blank">Trial Court Help Line</a>, where you can "call to ask general questions about their civil and criminal cases and [get] help ... navigat[ing] the court system."<br />
<br />
The Juvenile Court COVID-19 FAQ's and Standing Orders are <a href="https://www.mass.gov/guides/court-system-response-to-covid-19#-juvenile-court-" target="_blank">here</a>.MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-56073848545490139412020-03-20T10:08:00.000-04:002020-03-20T10:08:33.168-04:00Working From Home - Making Homes SafeWhile schools have been closed and many service providers have resorted to virtual interactions my workload has decreased significantly.<br />
<br />
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:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/19/opinion/when-home-isnt-safest-place-be/" target="_blank">When home isn’t the safest place to be</a><br />
<br />
My career has been devoted to helping parents navigate the Massachusetts child protective services (<a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/protective-intake-policy/download" target="_blank">CPS</a>) system; repesenting them in cases when they have been reported to the <a href="http://mass.gov/dcf" target="_blank">Department of Children and Families</a> (DCF) for suspicion of abusing or neglecting their children (<a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section51A" target="_blank">51A</a>), helping get their children back when DCF has taken custody (<a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section51B" target="_blank">51B(c)</a>) and filed care and protection (<a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section24" target="_blank">C&P</a>) or termination of parental rights (<a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section26" target="_blank">TPR</a>) cases, and <a href="http://michaelrichlaw.com/" target="_blank">more</a>. 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<b>Be safe, stay healthy, and be a good neighbor.</b>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-40797257884579899722020-02-12T18:19:00.002-05:002020-02-12T18:19:27.811-05:00DCF Fair HearingsThe DCF Fair Hearing Unit has created a useful set of links regarding Fair Hearings.<div>
<br /><div>
The main page is <a href="https://www.mass.gov/fair-hearing-unit" target="_blank">here</a> <a href="https://www.mass.gov/fair-hearing-unit" target="_blank">www.mass.gov/fair-hearing-unit</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you already know you want to request a fair hearing, you can now do so using an <a href="https://na3.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=909c4a80-0b8a-46c6-ae66-fc290b3cd01c&env=na3-eu1" target="_blank">online docusign form</a>:</div>
<div>
<a href="https://na3.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=909c4a80-0b8a-46c6-ae66-fc290b3cd01c&env=na3-eu1" target="_blank">na3.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=909c4a80-0b8a-46c6-ae66-fc290b3cd01c&env=na3-eu1</a>.</div>
<div>
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.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Their <a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-fair-hearing-guide-2019/download" target="_blank">Guide to Fair Hearings</a> is pretty comprehensive and seems to be written in plain English:</div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-fair-hearing-guide-2019/download" target="_blank">www.mass.gov/doc/dcf-fair-hearing-guide-2019/download</a>.</div>
</div>
MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-60379799550863029862019-11-11T11:38:00.000-05:002019-11-11T11:38:42.791-05:00Proof of Child Sexual Abuse?It has been several years since my last case in which a parent was accused of sexually abusing a young child based on evidence of shared pathogens. The one I was reminded about today was the father of a 4 or 5 year old girl who was accused because his daughter was found to have <i>Chlamydia</i> in her throat. Yes, horrible, I know.<br />
<br />
The child abuse pediatrician with whom I consulted told me she thought the abuse would be confirmed if father tested positive for the same strain of the bacteria. I was only handling the child custody part of the case, not any criminal charges that may have resulted. My involvement ended quickly when the mother agreed to keep the father away from their daughter while the cases were pending.<br />
<br />
I was reminded about it today when the headline <i>Biomarker Diagnoses Deadly Infant Disease </i>appeared in my inbox from the <i>Breaking Science News </i>email from <b><i><a href="http://technologynetworks.com/">Technology Networks</a>. </i></b>The article mentioned in the subject line was about "A diagnostic study of 136 premature infants [that] found that a protein involved in managing harmful bacteria in the human intestine is a reliable biomarker for the noninvasive detection of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)."<br />
<br />
I haven't had any cases in which NEC was mistaken for child abuse, but a different article at the top of the <i>Top Headlines</i> list caught my attention: <a href="https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/exploring-zoonotic-chlamydia-with-genetic-tools-327044?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=79221056&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Z0OIXm_GKSWAb_jVzvlqmhbjJ4SmNB1H2-oGtgo2dIrEdjW8xJQysZF1EDxvK5LNI5ny-eardNWbLmuwMWD8Y24r4xQ&_hsmi=79221056" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Genetic Tools To Explore Zoonotic Chlamydia</a>. A <i>Zoonotic</i> disease is, "an infectious disease that is transmitted between species from animals to humans (or from humans to animals)." <a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/animal/zoo/index.html">www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/animal/zoo/index.html</a> via <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Zoonotic&oq=Zoonotic&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i59j69i60j69i61&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">Google</a>.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the MN article doesn't list <i>chlamydia</i>. But the <a href="http://www.technologynetworks.com/">www.technologynetworks.com</a> write up of the <a href="http://www.mims.umu.se/"><b><i>Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden</i></b></a> article <a href="http://www.mims.umu.se/news-events/1954-plos-one-sixt.html" style="font-style: italic;">Targeted Gene Modification in Animal Pathogenic Chlamydia</a> says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The human pathogenic bacterium <i>Chlamydia</i> trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen worldwide. It is estimated to infect more than 100 million people each year and is a frequent cause of infertility. Moreover, <i>Chlamydia trachomatis </i>also causes eye infections and represents the most frequent infectious cause of blindness in developing areas of the world.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Less widely known is that <i>Chlamydia</i> affects not only humans, but also animals. By causing disease in farm animals, such as in cows, sheep, pigs and chicken, <i>Chlamydia</i> can cause significant economic damage. Moreover, <i>Chlamydia</i> also infects pet animals, such as cats, guinea pigs, and parrots. While the <i>Chlamydia</i> species that infect animals are biologically different from the human pathogen <i>Chlamydia</i> trachomatis, some animal pathogenic <i>Chlamydia</i> can occasionally also infect humans. These zoonotic infections in which the bacteria are transmitted from an infected animal to a human can be severe and life-threatening.</blockquote>
</blockquote>
Not knowing to question whether the pediatrician's assertion that father and daughter having the same strain of a pathogen was proof that father transmitted it to daughter, I didn't even inquire if they had any pets or handled farm animals. Similarly, until Attorney Randy Gioia brought a couple of <i>Evidence Based Medicine</i> physicians to speak at the <a href="http://massjba.org/" target="_blank">Massachusetts Juvenile Bar Association</a> annual conference a decade ago, I didn't think that there might be scientific evidence to rebut presumptions of causation tendered by the medical witnesses the state had proferred.<br />
<br />
<u>Practice note for lawyers</u>: Listen to your clients. Do scientific as well as legal research. Don't easily write off pleas of "But I didn't do anything like that to my child."<br />
<br />
<u>Practice note for accused parents</u>: Do scientific research. Insist that your attorney does so as well. Make it easier for them to find the articles, experts, and lawyers who have gone before them and found innocent explanations for conditions that the state has said couldn't have caused the conditions your child exhibited and you know you didn't cause.MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-37428266541203763242019-07-21T08:46:00.000-04:002019-07-21T08:46:50.898-04:00I should have known re: Massachsuetts General Laws onlineNow I know why I often can't find new statutes or language that I know was amended when I go to the Massachusetts General Laws links that I have saved for myself. Thanks to an alert that the Trial Court Law Libraries recently added to the top of the mass.gov "<a href="https://www.mass.gov/guides/massachusetts-general-laws-session-laws-bills">General laws, session laws & bills</a>" pages, I realized that:<br />
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<h3>
Mass. General Laws online have not been updated since February 28, 2017</h3>
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Warning: Mass. General Laws on the Legislature's site have not been updated in over 2 years</h4>
<br />The Trial Court Law Libraries strongly discourage users from relying on the Mass. General Laws provided online by the Legislature, because they are over 2 years out of date.<br /> <br />We are working to compile a collection of laws that have changed in that time. Please try <a href="https://www.mass.gov/law-library/mass-general-laws-amended-since-january-1-2017">Mass. General Laws amended since January 1, 2017</a> first, whenever you are searching for laws.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If you need a law, and it is not in the list of amended laws, please use the Legislature's online Mass. General Laws as a finding aid only, and then use our <a href="https://www.mass.gov/forms/document-delivery-service-request-form">free document delivery service</a> to request a current version of the law.</blockquote>
<br />
By Mass. Trial Court Law Libraries, <a href="https://www.mass.gov/alerts/mass-general-laws-online-have-not-been-updated-since-february-28-2017#undefined">www.mass.gov/alerts/mass-general-laws-online-have-not-been-updated-since-february-28-2017</a>, 7/10/2019MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-81365181860209560032019-03-27T10:14:00.000-04:002019-03-27T10:14:50.054-04:00DCF Family Assessment - What's involved?I was recently asked, "How many meetings are in the assessment?"<br />
<br />
The answer is essentially "It depends."<br /><br />The Family Assessment policy says that there must be a minimum of 3 face-to-face contacts with "the family" and 2 of those must be in the home.<br /><br />But there are also information gathering requirements and monthly meeting requirements that can increase the 3 meetings to 4 or even 7. If the worker doesn't touch on all the relevant subject areas during the first 3 meetings, they will have to insist on another. If the assessment starts near the end of a calendar month or is scheduled to end after the beginning of the next month, they will have to come at least once during each of those months if only for a "quick view of the children".<br /><br />See <a href="https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/03/05/Family_Assessment_and_Action_Planning_Policy.pdf">https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/03/05/Family_Assessment_and_Action_Planning_Policy.pdf</a> pp. 11 & 13-15.MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-32860764406949872522018-02-09T16:19:00.000-05:002018-02-09T16:19:41.530-05:00Persnickety Reporters<br /><h4>
What to do when they keep reporting.</h4>
<br />I was asked if there is any way to stop school personnel from reporting minor incidents that are not an indication of children being at risk of abuse or neglect. My response, edited to remove identifying information, was:<br /><br />Since DCF is not allowed to tell you or confirm your suspicions about who filed a report and since reporters do not have to answer about whether they filed a report, the response from system stakeholders in situations such as yours is often that you should be happy the system worked the way it was supposed to. That is, someone believed there was some reason to worry about one of your children and reported it to DCF. DCF inquired and came to the correct conclusion that your children are not at risk of injury from or experiencing abuse or neglect.<br /><br />The mandated reporting statute makes it a crime to "knowingly and willfully file[ ] a frivolous report of child abuse or neglect." (<a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section51A">Mass. General Laws Chapter 119, section 51A(c)</a>.) But it seems it would need to be DCF who would have to make the determination of frivilosity, since you would have no proof of who made the report. On page 17 of the <a href="https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/08/bac/Protective%2520Intake%2520Policy.pdf">DCF Protective Intake Policy</a> (which may be found in the "Intake" section at this <a href="https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/08/bac/Protective%2520Intake%2520Policy.pdf">link</a> <a href="https://www.mass.gov/lists/review-dcf-policies">www.mass.gov/lists/review-dcf-policies</a>, you will find the following criteria for when a report may be "screened out":<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
3. Screen Out<br />This is a determination that:<br /><ul>
<li>the report does not involve a child or the allegations are not within the Department’s mandate concerning child abuse and neglect; and/or</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>there is no indication that a child(ren) has been or may have been abused or neglected or may be at risk of being abused and/or neglected by a caregiver; and/or</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>the alleged perpetrator has been identified and was not a caregiver, and the child(ren)’s caregiver is safely protecting the child(ren) from the alleged perpetrator, unless the allegations involve sexual exploitation or human trafficking; and/or</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>the specific injury or specific situation being reported is so old that it has no bearing on the current risk to the reported or other child(ren); and/or</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>there are NO other protective concerns, and the only issue is maternal use of appropriately prescribed medication resulting in a SEN(s), AND the only substance affecting the newborn(s) was appropriately prescribed medication, AND the mother was using the medication(s) as prescribed which can be verified by a qualified medical or other provider.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />It's on page 17 because there are bunches of steps and inquiries that the DCF Screener must make before they are permitted to decide that an allegation is frivolous.<div>
<br />You may want to start with obtaining all of your family's records from DCF. See it's <a href="https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/09/12/110cmr12.pdf">records regulations, here</a> - <a href="https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/09/12/110cmr12.pdf">www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/09/12/110cmr12.pdf</a> - about how to request those files. Those would be the first things I would need to look at to determine whether there was any readily apparent frivilosity or bad faith in the school's reporting, and it often takes quite some time to get the records from DCF.<br /><br />You also might want to look through your School Committee's Policies and Procedures Manual and any staff training material to see if there are definitions and defined procedures for deciding when and how something must be reported and how incidents are to be vetted and documented. It is possible that a report could fall within DCF's definitions but not be something that Anytown Public Schools (APS) permits to be reported. And APS may have record keeping and disclosure rules that are different from the rules governing reports once they are communicated to DCF.</div>
MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-41927097016415664462017-06-06T09:48:00.000-04:002017-08-17T10:32:43.644-04:00DCF Law, Regulations, and Policies <div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Mass.gov is a great resource</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out its "Laws by Source" page <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/&source=gmail&ust=1496837774532000&usg=AFQjCNFxWS18TDJDYfkNEeCQBqBoKYql8Q" href="http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.mass.gov/<wbr></wbr>courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/<wbr></wbr>laws-by-source/</a>. To find DCF law and regulations, look under the "Massachusetts" heading. Sources of Mass. law are listed in their order of priority - each one of the links there goes to a category of law. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Regulations or Policies</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note that "Regulations" are listed there but policies aren't. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">That is because regulations have the force of law once they are published in the Massachusetts Record for public comment, then amended based on the comments, then approved by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, then published in the Code of Mass. Regulations. But policies do not.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Statutes relating to DCF</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DCF has an enabling statute, which is <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter18B" target="_blank">Mass. General Laws chapter 18B</a>. Sections 2, 3, and 4 tell them what they can and have to do. Then, <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119" target="_blank">Mass. General Laws chapter 119</a> is about child protection law. It is where the "<b>51A</b> report" and "<b>51B</b> investigation" get their names; i.e., sections <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section51A" target="_blank">51A</a> and <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section51B" target="_blank">51B</a> of chapter 119. There are other statutes in which DCF is involved, but these are the two main ones for purposes of this article.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">DCF Regulations</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DCF and all state agencies are required to write regulations that expand on and provide specifics about the statutes. You can find DCF regulations at the Title 110 link following the "<a href="http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/cmr/" target="_blank">Code of Massachusetts Regulations</a>" link at the Trial Court Law Libraries "<a href="http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/" target="_blank">Laws by Source</a>" page to the "<a href="http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/cmr/cmr-a-c-gen.html" target="_blank">Alphabetical list</a>" or the "<a href="http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/cmr/100-199cmr/" target="_blank">100-199</a>" to "<a href="http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-source/cmr/100-199cmr/110cmr.html" target="_blank">110</a>"and at DCF's <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/laws-regs/dcf/regulations-and-policies.html&source=gmail&ust=1496837774532000&usg=AFQjCNHAFkGDSr1ps9R7H5lJ3n7D-tumzw" href="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/laws-regs/dcf/regulations-and-policies.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Regulations and Policies page</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">DCF Policies</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Most agencies, DCF included, have policies, which further flesh out the regulations and are what their people are trained to follow. DCF just (August 17, 2017) linked a slew of their <a href="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/laws-regs/dcf/regulations-and-policies.html">policies on their website</a> - </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/laws-regs/dcf/regulations-and-policies.html">www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/laws-regs/dcf/regulations-and-policies.html</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, MCLE</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">®, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">periodically publishes a manual with a CD including then current DCF policies and the</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Massachusetts Juvenile Bar Association recently developed a </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">thumb drive that included the regulations and policies, amongst other things; </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">but I am not sure if it is available for purchase. Once you know the name and number of any DCF policy, you can have them emailed or faxed to you by the Mass. Trial Court Law Libraries using their <a href="http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/libraries/services/docdelivery.html">Document Delivery Service</a>.</span></span><br />
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Amendments</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the DCF <a href="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/laws-regs/dcf/regulations-and-policies.html" target="_blank">Regulations and Policies page</a> you will notice that there are also "Proposed Amendments" to a few regulations and a few policies. But, the proposed amendments to effectuate the, most relevant, 2/28/2016 "Protective Intake Policy" and the 2/17/2017 "Family Assessment and Action Planning Policy" are not there. Those regulations, though they have already been written and open to public comment, for some stupid reason, are published at a link in the "News" section of the <a href="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dcf/" target="_blank">top page of DCF's website</a> - "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dcf/dcf-regulation-review.html&source=gmail&ust=1496837774532000&usg=AFQjCNHomv3u7S6C6ydf6kwmrdL8tu8POw" href="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dcf/dcf-regulation-review.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Regulation Review: Proposed Changes to DCF Regulations</a>"<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">. They seem to be pretty close to final so I don't know what they are waiting for to add them to the actual Regulations page.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Check with your attorney</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are involved in an investigation, assessment, or case with DCF, always talk to your attorney about which constitutional provisions, statutes, regulations, court rules, or policies affect your case. Feel free to use the <a href="http://michaelrichlaw.com/resources.html" target="_blank">Web Resources page</a> of <a href="http://michaelrichlaw.com/" target="_blank">my main website</a> for the links in this article and others, which you may find useful in your DCF or child protection law research. Read my <a href="http://michaelrichlaw.com/policy.html" target="_blank">Initial Consultation Policies page</a> if you need to consider retaining counsel for your DCF matter.</span></div>
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MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-52348885466794774212014-03-27T21:37:00.000-04:002014-07-25T14:18:52.125-04:00DCF Interviews at SchoolIt is a pet peeve of mine that DCF investigators think they can talk to children at school and that schools let them.<br />
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It has been a major debate in several federal appeals courts, amongst attorney members of the National Association of Counsel for Children, on the American Bar Association Child / Parent Attorneys email discussion list, amongst members of the National Association of CPS Defenses Attorneys and even at the U.S. Supreme Court.<br />
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Unfortunately it remains an open question. But I lean toward the proposition that schools should not permit DCF personnel, police or other employees of outside agencies to interview children, who are not in the custody of the interviewing person, at school.<br />
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My answer to the question "is it legal?"on avvo.com, which lays out some of my reasoning, can be found <a href="http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/my-child-is-being-questioned-at-school-by-dcf-with-1657849.html#answer_3665585" target="_blank">here: http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/my-child-is-being-questioned-at-school-by-dcf</a>.<br />
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If your school committee has a policy about visitors or interviews and you know or suspect that your child might be a target for an interview, consider adapting the form letters in my previous post to your situation.<br />
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And <span style="color: red;">consult with an attorney</span> who is familiar with DCF policies and practices.MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-22396211083715967052013-08-31T10:02:00.000-04:002013-08-31T10:02:12.468-04:00Dear Principal: No DCF or law enforcement interviews
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<span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12pt;">If you think your child may be about to be interviewed at school by DCF or law enforcement, you might want to consider having him/her carry a card similar to the one in my previous post and sending this letter to the Principal and school district administration:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Principal ____________:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">My/Our child, [</span><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Child's Name</span></span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">], has been instructed not to discuss any non-academic
matters with school administrators and not to speak at all with personnel from any
outside agencies until one or both parents or my/our attorney is/are present. The only
exception would be an emergency that concerns the immediate safety of my/our child or
other children. Under no circumstances is my/our child to sign any document or write
out any statement unless I/we am/are present.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">If any [</span><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Name of School</span></span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">] administrator desires to question my/our child regarding any
incident, please inform me/us immediately and I/we will come to the school as soon as
possible. If anyone from an outside agency desires to meet with or question my/our
child, please inform them that you do not have parental permission for them to meet
with my/our child at school and ask them to schedule an appointment with me/us.
My/Our home number is [</span><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Home Phone</span></span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">]. My/Our work numbers, for school emergencies
only, do NOT provide to outside agencies except in a medical emergency, are [</span><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Name,
Work Phone, Name, Work Phone</span></span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">].
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">I/We intend to cooperate with school officials regarding appropriate matters and will
require that my/our child also cooperate. We simply ask that you wait until I/we are
present to undertake any questioning.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Respectfully,
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">[</span><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Parent's(s’) Name(s)]
[Address(es</span></span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">)]<br />
[</span><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">City(ies), State(s) Zip(s)</span></span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">]
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Form copied from:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><a href="http://www.michaelrichlaw.blogspot.com/">www.MIchaelRichLaw.blogspot.com</a></span><br />
</div>
<div class="column">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 16px;">The blog of Atty. Michael L. Rich*</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
Concentrating in Children’s and Family Law</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">37 Middlesex Circle – Unit 21<br />
Waltham, MA 02452<br />
781-373-1582, fax: 339-368-7662</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Emergencies: 339-707-0050<br /><a href="mailto:mike@michaelrichlaw.com" target="_blank">mike@michaelrichlaw.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><a href="http://www.michaelrichlaw.com/" target="_blank">www.MichaelRichLaw.com</a></span><br />
<br />
</div>
</div>
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">*Atty. Rich does not represent this child or family unless his signature appears on the form.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Available to copy at <a href="http://www.michaelrichlaw.blogspot.com/">www.michaelrichlaw.blogspot.com</a> and for group members for download at <a href="http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/kidlawrich">www.groups.yahoo.com/group/kidlawrich</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">It is strongly suggested that you have an attorney and consult with him/her before sending this form to your child's school.</span><br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-33586452551581443852013-08-31T09:38:00.000-04:002013-08-31T09:38:19.579-04:00When you think DCF is going to talk to your child at school<h4>
For students to carry with them:</h4>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My Right to Remain Silent</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">My parents agree that I have
the following rights*:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">1. To refuse to talk to any
school official, police officer, counselor or social worker about anything that
is not related to my school work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2. To refuse to sign any
forms or discuss anything related to my family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">3. To deny consent to any
search of my person or articles in my possession.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">4. To insist that the school
call my parents and ask my parents to come to the school immediately if I am to
be questioned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In the exercise of these
rights:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I will be respectful to all
officials at all times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I will not be threatening or
aggressive in my resistance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 3.0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in; text-indent: -3.0in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">__________________ ___________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 3.0in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in; text-indent: -3.0in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Child’s signature Parent(s)’
signature(s)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* Many of these "rights" have not been specifically recognized by the legal system. Some derive from case law, some from Massachusetts statutes and regulations, some from model school department policies and some are merely desired interpretations.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Form copied from:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.michaelrichlaw.blogspot.com/">www.MichaelRichLaw.blogspot.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A service of Atty. Michael L. Rich*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Concentrating in Children’s and
Family Law<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">37 Middlesex Circle – Unit 21<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Waltham, MA 02452<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">781-373-1582, Fax 339-368-7662</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Emergencies 339-707-0050<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>GOTOBUTTON BM_2_ </span><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>www.MichaelRichLaw.com</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Available as a post at <a href="http://www.michaelrichlaw.blogspot.com/">www.michaelrichlaw.blogspot.com</a> and to group members
for download at <a href="http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/kidlawrich">www.groups.yahoo.com/group/kidlawrich</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*Atty. Rich does not represent this child or family unless his signature appears on the form.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Go over this form and the situation with your child, preferably after retaining a DCF/CPS defense attorney in your area. If you are unable to connect with an attorney before the next school day, consider whether to send the form to school with your child.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-44744940181017880552013-08-25T07:34:00.001-04:002013-08-25T09:17:30.570-04:00Arlington Mass. Gun Buyback Program<a href="http://www.arlingtongunbuyback.org/the-organizers.html" target="_blank">Several faith communities in Arlington</a> have gotten together with the Arlington Police Department and sponsors from around Town to offer grocery gift cards in exchange for unwanted firearms.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.arlingtongunbuyback.org/details.html" target="_blank">The event</a> will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Arlington DPW lot at <a href="http://www.arlingtongunbuyback.org/details.html" target="_blank">51 Grove Street</a>.*<br />
<br />
Here is a video clip from <a href="http://news.acmi.tv/2013/newscast-august-21-2013/" target="_blank">Arlington Community Media</a>, Inc., in which I am being interviewed about the event --<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/72841255" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
* Rain date Saturday, October 5, 2014.<br />
<br />
For more information go to <a href="http://www.arlingtongunbuyback.org/" target="_blank">www.arlingtongunbuyback.org</a>.MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-46806077938308479982013-05-18T16:44:00.000-04:002013-05-18T19:22:36.611-04:00Arlington, MA, Police Arrest Innocent Man in New YorkNot really.<br />
<br />
But the reporting of the arrest here: <a href="http://www.yourarlington.com/archive/news-archive/374-police1/5895-abuse-51813">http://www.yourarlington.com/archive/news-archive/374-police1/5895-abuse-51813</a> and here: <a href="http://arlington.patch.com/articles/arrest-made-in-arlington-boys-girls-club-sexual-abuse-investigation">http://arlington.patch.com/articles/arrest-made-in-arlington-boys-girls-club-sexual-abuse-investigation</a> bumps up against one of my pet peeves.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mr. ___ is innocent until proven guilty.</blockquote>
If he is "innocent", why did they arrest him? What they are talking about is the constitutional presumption of innocence. The presumption of innocence says that we must treat a criminal defendant AS IF he is innocent until he is proven guilty. Mr. ___ may actually be innocent. His arrest on a warrant just means that the police thought and convinced a judge or magistrate that they had probable cause to believe he had committed a crime. What the APD should have said in its press release, and what I will say here, is "The charges are only allegations at this point. Mr. ___ is presumed innocent until proven guilty."<br />
<br />
In actuality, if someone IS actually innocent, he will remain that way EVEN IF he is convicted in court. Unfortunately, we have way too many incidents of innocent people being convicted or even pleading to crimes to ignore the irony of misrepresenting the constitutional provision.<br />
<br />
Innocent people are convicted but they remain innocent nonetheless.MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-39965721869833981262013-05-16T10:59:00.000-04:002013-05-16T11:25:41.830-04:00Protected by confidentiality laws. Really?What part of "This case and the details related to the newborn are protected by confidentiality laws."?<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/5/15/citrus_county_mother.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/5/15/citrus_county_mother.html</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
They include a picture of the mother, her name, what she is in jail charged with and that her newborn was taken into protective custody by FL DCF. The only part of the case details they did not include was the name of the "family members" with whom the infant has been placed.<br />
<br />
Are there confidentiality laws protecting anyone in the case or not?<br />
<br />
WAIT - here's another one:<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.claytodayonline.com/ee/claytoday/en/component/fullstory/20130516_020_art_5/teen-held-on-sex-charge" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">www.claytodayonline.com/ee/claytoday/en/component/fullstory/20130516_020_art_5/teen-held-on-sex-charge</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
Also Florida. A local doctor made a report to DCF and the police. It was <b>the doctor</b>, "whose name was not released under Florida’s confidentiality laws"!<br />
<br />
As to the teen who is the alleged perpetrator, his name, the town he lives in, his picture and the offense he is being charged with were all reported.<br />
<br />
Why are reporters, especially mandated reporters, having their identities protected? Where is the protection for the accused? For the children involved in the cases?MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-63755410418968480492013-03-02T10:45:00.000-05:002015-01-05T15:13:13.122-05:0010 Things You Should Know About CHINS1. <u>There is no such animal anymore</u>.<br />
<br />
On November 5, 2012, a new law went into effect that revamped CHINS and did away with that term. The new law was supposed to be called FACES (Families and Children Engaging in Services) but is instead going to be known as CRA (Children Requiring Assistance). Read <span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; word-spacing: 2px;">AN ACT REGARDING FAMILIES AND CHILDREN ENGAGED IN SERVICES</span> <a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2012/Chapter240">here</a>: <a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2012/Chapter240">Session Laws Acts 2012 Chapter240</a>.<br />
<br />
2. <u>Definitions changed</u>.<br />
<br />
The new statute applies to children <b>between the ages of 6 and 18</b>. The old law only went up to 17. Since the mandatory school attendance law only requires school attendance until age 16, school-based applications must still be dismissed when the student reaches age 16.<br />
<br />
A<b style="font-style: italic;"> Runaway</b> is a child between the ages of 6 and 18 who <b>repeatedly</b> runs away from the home of a parent, legal guardian or custodian.<br />
<br />
The other home-based category makes clear that the rules violations to trigger an application must be important ones. An application may be filed for a child between the ages of 6 and 18 who <b>repeatedly</b> fails to obey the lawful and reasonable commands of a parent, legal guardian or custodian, <b>thereby interfering with their ability to care for and protect the child</b>.<br />
<br />
A <b><i>Truant</i></b> is a child who when not otherwise excused from attendance in accordance with lawful and reasonable school regulations, <b>willfully</b> fails to attend school more that eight school days in a quarter.<br />
<br />
The other school-based application is for a child who <b>repeatedly</b> fails to obey <b>lawful and reasonable school regulations</b>.<br />
<br />
3. <u>Police officers may no longer file applications</u>.<br />
<br />
Mass. General Laws chapter 119 § 39E (which will be <a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section39E">here</a>: <a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section39E">www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section39E</a> but has not yet been updated with the new statute) lists those <i><b>who may file an application</b></i> for assistance as "A parent, legal guardian, or <b>custodian</b> of a child <b>having custody</b> of such child." Custodian and having custody are additions to the statute. Practitioners question if "having custody" applies to a parent. Some courts were not letting non-custodial parents file under the old CHINS law.<br />
<br />
Police officers are no longer listed in those who may file. The new statute no longer requires a certified supervisor of attendance to file school-based applications. Applications may be filed by <i>a school district</i>. Practitioners question whether that means a school district employee or if a school district may only be represented by an attorney.<br />
<br />
4. <u>The bail provisions of the old CHINS law were eliminated</u>.<br />
<br />
There is no reference to bail in the new CRA law. The court may place the child in the temporary custody of DCF but the order is only good for 15 days at a time and may only be renewed twice for a total of 45 days.<br />
<br />
5. <u>Arrest is no longer allowed</u>.<br />
<br />
If a child fails to obey a CRA summons or the a police officer has probably cause to believe a child is a runaway AND will not respond to a summons, s/he may be taken into custodial protection.<br />
<br />
BUT custodial protection does not allow police to bring child to the police station or a lockup (not even the juvenile court detention facility) and cannot be handcuffed or shackled.<br />
<br />
Court orders for to bring a child to court for failure to obey a summons are not to be entered into the state's Warrant Management System (WMS).<br />
<br />
6. <u>CRA cases are not be placed on CORI, CARI, BOP or WMS</u>.<br />
<br />
The cases are not to be entered on the child's Criminal Offender Record Information, Court Appearance Record Information, Board of Probation record or Warrant Management System. If the application is dismissed before a fact-finding hearing it is supposed to be expunged. No record "shall be maintained or remain active" after the case is dismissed.<br />
<br />
7. <u>Parent applicants may now dismiss their petitions</u>.<br />
<br />
Overturning the <a href="http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/417/417mass321.html">In re Gail, 471 Mass. 321 (1994)</a> case, which said that the petitioner-mother could not dismiss her CHINS petition, the new CRA law authorizes any party to file a motion to dismiss until the disposition hearing. The judge "may" order dismissal if it is in the best interests of the child or if all parties agree.<br />
<br />
8. <u>No more jury trials</u>.<br />
<br />
The new statute specifies that the fact-finding hearing is before a judge, not a jury. When the legislature did away with trial <i>de novo</i> in every other area of law, it left it in the old CHINS statute. The new CRA law does away with the child's ability to have a second trial in a jury session. Instead appeals are no longer whole new trials but will be decided on issues of law in the single justice session of the Mass. Appeals Court (under <a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleII/Chapter231/Section118">M.G.L. c. 231, § 118</a>).<br />
<br />
9. <u>Disposition is a two-step process and is time-limited</u>.<br />
<br />
Under the new CRA law the court must convene and may participate in an on-the-record "<b>conference</b>" of the probation officer, petitioner, school, parent, child, child's attorney, DCF and "any other person who may be helpful in determining the most effective assistance available to be offered to the child and family." The probation officer must write recommendations and other persons may submit <b>written recommendations</b> to advise the court on appropriate treatment, services, placement, conditions and limitations.<br />
<br />
The first disposition order may last for not more than <b>120 days</b>. It may be extended after hearing for <b>90 days</b>. A maximum of 3 extensions are allowed for a total of <b>390 days</b>.<br />
<br />
10. <u>Links to resources</u>.<br />
<br />
The Massachusetts Juvenile Court Department issued a <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Handbook for Parents,
Legal Guardians, and Custodians in Child Requiring Assistance Cases </span>it is no longer available <a href="http://www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/juvenilecourt/child-requiring-assistance-parent-handout.pdf">here</a>, but can still be found by searching for it by title.<br />
<br />
The Children and Family Law Program of the Committee for Public Counsel Services has compiled a set of links which includes the Juvenile Court <a href="http://www.publiccounsel.net/practice_areas/cafl_pages/Child_Requiring_Assistance_Memorandum_-_FACES.pdf">Memorandum</a> of October 25, 2012 and links that let you download "<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.publiccounsel.net/practice_areas/cafl_pages/pdf/cafl_news/30New_CHINS_Law_Detailed_Memo.doc">a detailed memorandum discussing the new law</a>," "</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.publiccounsel.net/practice_areas/cafl_pages/pdf/cafl_news/30New_CHINS_Law_Short_Summary.doc">a short summary of the changes</a>," and "</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.publiccounsel.net/practice_areas/cafl_pages/pdf/cafl_news/30Amended_CHINS_Statute_Final.docx">the sections of Chapter 119 that pertain to status offenses, as it will read on November 5, 2012</a>"; or go <a href="http://www.publiccounsel.net/practice_areas/cafl_pages/cafl_news.html">here</a> to access the links from the <a href="http://www.publiccounsel.net/practice_areas/cafl_pages/cafl_news.html">CAFL News page</a>.</span><br />
<br />
Special thanks to <a href="http://www.kilkellylaw.com/">Attorney Michael Kilkelly</a> who prepared a lot of the CAFL materials and presented them in a series of workshops for interested attorneys.<br />
<br />
<br />MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3244532973936681387.post-51929286014341873692012-08-25T14:05:00.000-04:002012-08-25T14:12:05.353-04:00When DCF Comes a-Calling: How to Try to Stay Out of the Fire When You're Already in the Frying Pan<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the article "<a href="http://www.naccchildlaw.org/resource/resmgr/Guardian/e-Guardian2012-v34-n7.pdf">Attorney Participation in Family Partnership Meetings</a>," Sara R Brennan, NACC Legal Intern, wrote:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Without the assistance or guidance of an attorney, many parents volunteer information that can later be used against them, without a complete understanding of the consequences some of their statements can have. Parents may also agree to safety plans that can later be used against them in proceedings if they do not comply with every single provision of the plans. Furthermore, parents are sometimes forced to agree to out-of-home placements for their children, usually without a full understanding of their options.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.naccchildlaw.org/resource/resmgr/Guardian/e-Guardian2012-v34-n7.pdf">e-Guardian</a> v. 34, no. 7, <a href="http://www.naccchildlaw.org/">National Association of Counsel for Children</a>, August 2012, pp. 1-2.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The article proposes that state courts should exercise their discretion in favor of appointing attorneys to represent parents during the initial, pre-court stages of child protective services (CPS) investigations. It mentions two programs that provide pre-petition representation and suggests that NACC members disseminate information about solo practitioners who provide pre-petition representation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I provide representation to parents in Massachusetts facing those frightening calls and letters from CPS that a worker "needs" to meet with the family to discuss an allegation that their child(ren) has(have) been abused or neglected. I work with families during Initial Assessments, Investigations and Assessments and represent parents at Fair Hearings, in court and at other aspects of the "variable response," <a href="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/consumer/family-services/integrated-casework-practice-model-icpm.html">Integrated Casework Practice Model</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A couple weeks ago, I fielded a call from a parent in just that position. S/he was being investigated by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families [DCF, Massachusetts's CPS agency, formerly known as the Department of Social Services (DSS)] for the second time in as many months. S/he couldn't afford an attorney and so, as I had done for others, many times before, I gave the caller a <a href="http://www.michaelrichlaw.com/policy.html">free, (not so) brief, initial consultation</a>. I say "(not so) brief" because, after our one and a half hour phone call, I spent another half hour writing an email to send <a href="http://www.michaelrichlaw.com/resources.html">links</a> to the <a href="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/laws-regs/dcf/regulations-and-policies.html">Mass. DCF regulations</a> and other material I had summarized on the phone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The parent who called from a remote part of the state, had, without representation, just gotten through an "Initial Assessment" for an allegation of neglect with a determination of "unsupported." S/he was now being subjected to an "Investigation" by the same intake worker (who was determined to vindicate him/herself by "supporting" this abuse / neglect report from a "<a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section21">mandated reporter</a>," even if the children were no more at risk than they had been the previous month). The caller to my office was worried about what being investigated means that was different than the previous initial assessment and what the consequences of a determination that s/he had neglected his/her children would be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since it did not seem that s/he was at risk of having his/her children removed from his/her care even though the DCF worker said it was definitely "illegal" to leave children alone in a car under any circumstances, I started by telling him/her:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stay calm about your DCF matter and don't let the investigator trick you into saying anything about being overwhelmed or stressed out by the process.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">The "variable response" differentiation between an "Initial Assessment" and an "Investigation" are not yet in the official regulations of DCF in the </span><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/110cmr.html" style="color: #222222;">Code of Massachusetts Regulations</a><span style="color: #222222;">. For the purposes of this article, it should suffice to say that an Initial Assessment results in a finding of unsubstantiated, minimum risk or refer for assessment, and seems, at least partially to exclude less serious cases from being able to seek reversal of any findings through the Fair Hearing process, discussed later.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Under </span><a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119" style="font-family: inherit;">the statute</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section51B" style="font-family: inherit;">DCF must "investigate"</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> whenever there is a report of suspected abuse or neglect of a child. The law setting out when a report becomes mandatory and authorizing any person who has reasonable cause to believe a child is being abused or neglected to report is in </span><a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section51A" style="font-family: inherit;">section 51A</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the statute, so these are typically called "51A Reports." The resulting "evaluation" report is called a </span><a href="http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter119/Section51B" style="font-family: inherit;">51B</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> because of where the requirements for the investigation are in the statute.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The current DCF "Intake" regulation that attempts to detail the statutory "investigation" scheme is here:
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/110CMR4.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/<wbr></wbr>source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/<wbr></wbr>110CMR4.pdf</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The "non-emergency" investigation that I was discussing with the caller is section 4.26.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once DCF concludes, either through an Initial Assessment or an Investigation, that the family needs to engage in "services" to correct the problems that caused them to be reported to the Department, they enter into a stage called "Assessment." DCF's regulations about the 45 day Assessment are here: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/110CMR5.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/<wbr></wbr>source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/<wbr></wbr>110CMR5.pdf</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Service Plans" are the "agreements" DCF workers try to get the parents to sign, either on an "emergency" basis, i.e., during the investigation, or for ongoing case work, i.e. for 6 month increments after Assessment. The regulation about service plans is here:
</span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/110CMR6.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/<wbr></wbr>source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/<wbr></wbr>110CMR6.pdf</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The regulations about requesting copies of the reports that were filed (51As) and that the caseworker doing the initial assessment or investigation writes (51Bs) are in article 12.00, here:
</span><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/110CMR12.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/<wbr></wbr>source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/<wbr></wbr>110CMR12.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, particularly section 12.08.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">How to request a Fair Hearing to appeal the finding that you did abuse or neglect your children is in article 10.00, here: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/110CMR10.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/<wbr></wbr>source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/<wbr></wbr>110CMR10.pdf</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Definitions of abuse and neglect (though not particularly good ones) are in the Glossary, article 2.00, here: <a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/110CMR2.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/<wbr></wbr>source/mass/cmr/cmrtext/<wbr></wbr>110CMR2.pdf</a>. </span>
Slightly more detailed descriptions of what they mean by "reasonable cause to believe," "supported" and "The List" (that the worker told this parent s/he would be on "forever") are in article 4 sections 4.32-4.38, linked above.<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Most of what it all means is in court interpretations of things DCF did that parents appealed, which is covered in a 3 day course and 1200 page two-binder notebook for lawyers in this field and changes all the time, so you can see why I couldn't really teach you everything you need to know in one phone call or even a way-too-long blog post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">The </span><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/index.html" style="color: #222222;">Mass. Trial Court Law Libraries</a><span style="color: #222222;"> has a good set of resource pages, called "</span><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/subject/index.html" style="color: #222222;">Mass. Law About ...</a><span style="color: #222222;">". You might find the cases and additional links at the one about Child Abuse and Neglect to be informative. Here's a link: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/subject/about/childabuse.html" target="_blank">http://www.lawlib.state.<wbr></wbr>ma.us/subject/about/<wbr></wbr>childabuse.html</a>.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> Note the subsection with its own link on that page called "</span><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/subject/about/childabusefaq.html#car" style="background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #990000; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Is it illegal in Massachusetts to leave a child alone in a car?</a><span style="color: #222222;">" Here's a link to it: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/subject/about/childabusefaq.html#car" target="_blank">http://www.lawlib.state.<wbr></wbr>ma.us/subject/about/<wbr></wbr>childabusefaq.html#car</a>.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> There's a similar subsection called "</span><span style="color: #990000;">How young a child can be left home alone?</span><span style="color: #222222;">" </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">Here is it's link: </span><a href="http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/subject/about/childabusefaq.html#home">http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/subject/about/childabusefaq.html#home</a><span style="color: #222222;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have included them here because the handling of these subjects is typical of how mandated reporters and DCF workers in Massachusetts deal with issues. That is, they seem to believe that "there is a law" that makes certain actions "illegal" when, actually, </span>the case law makes <span style="font-family: inherit;">it a fact-specific determination and leaves a good deal to the discretion of the parent, as long as the parent is being reasonable.</span>MLRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07955987885707332477noreply@blogger.com7