At Heartwork Defense, we see parents affected by CPS seeking and exchanging information on social media in groups. Often, questions will cite the CPS (Child Protective Services) agency in question, which may not have identical policies and local laws that a CPS agency in another state has. When you factor in specific allegations and circumstances, this gets even more complicated. Sometimes, the only advice a parent receives is from a third party in another state talking about their experience with different circumstances. Sometimes, this is effective, but in our experience, it’s often not. If what’s good in one state may or may not be good in another, how does one effectively evaluate such advice?
All state and municipal CPS agencies are governed by certain federal laws, such as the Child Abuse Prevention & Treatment Act (CAPTA), the Adoption & Safe Families Act (ASFA), the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and guidance from the Administration for Children & Families (ACF)- the federal child welfare agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides guidance to state and municipal child welfare agencies. This means state and municipal CPS agencies have more in common with one another than not; however, it’s all the tiny differences that matter when it comes to navigating the child welfare system successfully.
When someone is giving you advice based on their case where their newborn child tested positive for drugs and the allegations against you are lack of supervision, the reasonable efforts requirements, evidentiary standards and other important nuances may be different and at Heartwork Defense, would significantly affect the advice our child welfare consultants would give in specific circumstances. Whether or not simultaneous criminal court involvement is occurring is also an important factor that can make a case very different. It’s nuances like these that can make advice really good in certain states in certain cases, but that same advice can be detrimental in others. When navigating a CPS case successfully, you need to tailor your actions specifically to your local CPS laws, policies and case circumstances to ensure you’re doing the right thing. It can get confusing, especially because some CPS agency acronyms are used by multiple states, but these distinctions can be the difference between an unsubstantiated case and a years-long case with foster care placement, court involvement and possible termination of parental rights.
When evaluating advice not necessarily specific to your state or municipal CPS agency, you should:
- Learn the laws and policies applicable to your location.
- Ask follow-up questions to compare the circumstances of the experience the other person has to yours (allegations, home, income, etc.).
- Check with a source you know to be reliable, such as one of our expert child welfare consultants or a family legal professional you trust.
- If you take such advice, prepare for multiple contingencies, so you can pivot quickly and minimize potential damage to your case.
Child Protective Services in the United States is a large bureaucracy that spans the federal, state and municipal levels and becoming an expert on short notice who can make the right decisions in an emotional vacuum is a tall order to ask of parents. At Heartwork Defense, our child welfare consultants function as that expert, so you don’t have to. If you choose to be your own expert, take care to learn everything you can and the earlier you start, the better.
The Master List of Federal State and Municipal CPS Agencies
Federal CPS Agencies
- United States of America- ACF (Administration of Children & Families)
State CPS Agencies
- Alabama – DHR (Department of Human Resources)
- Alaska – OCS (Office of Children’s Services
- Arizona – DCS (Department of Child Safety)
- Arkansas – DCFS (Division of Children and Family Services)
- California – CDSS (California Department of Social Services)
- Colorado – CDHS (Colorado Department of Human Services)
- Connecticut – DCF (Department of Children and Families)
- Delaware – DFS (Division of Family Services)
- District of Columbia – CFSA (Child and Family Services Agency)
- Florida – DCF (Department of Children and Families)
- Georgia – DFCS (Division of Family and Children Services)
- Hawaii – CWS (Child Welfare Services)
- Idaho – DHW (Department of Health and Welfare)
- Illinois – DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services)
- Indiana – DCS (Department of Child Services)
- Iowa – DHS (Department of Human Services)
- Kansas – DCF (Department for Children and Families)
- Kentucky – DCBS (Department for Community Based Services)
- Louisiana – DCFS (Department of Children & Family Services)
- Maine – OCFS (Office of Child and Family Services)
- Maryland – DHR (Department of Human Resources)
- Massachusetts – DCF (Department of Children and Families)
- Michigan – MDHHS (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services)
- Minnesota – DHS (Department of Human Services)
- Mississippi – MDCPS (Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services)
- Missouri – CDSS (Children’s Division of the Department of Social Services)
- Montana – CPS (Child Protective Services)
- Nebraska – DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services)
- Nevada – DCFS (Division of Child and Family Services)
- New Hampshire – DCYF (Division for Children, Youth and Families)
- New Jersey – DCF (Department of Children and Families)
- New Mexico – CYFD (Children, Youth and Families Department)
- New York – OCFS (Office of Children and Family Services)
- North Carolina – DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services)
- North Dakota – DHS (Department of Human Services)
- Ohio – ODJFS (Ohio Department of Job and Family Services)
- Oklahoma – DHS (Department of Human Services)
- Oregon – DHS (Department of Human Services)
- Pennsylvania – DHS (Department of Human Services)
- Rhode Island – DCYF (Department of Children, Youth, and Families)
- South Carolina – DSS (Department of Social Services)
- South Dakota – DSS (Department of Social Services)
- Tennessee – DCS (Department of Children’s Services)
- Texas – DFPS (Department of Family and Protective Services)
- Utah – DCFS (Division of Child and Family Services)
- Vermont – DCF (Department for Children and Families)
- Virginia – DSS (Department of Social Services)
- Washington – DCYF (Department of Children, Youth, and Families)
- West Virginia – DHHR (Department of Health and Human Resources)
- Wisconsin – DCF (Department of Children and Families)
- Wyoming – DFS (Department of Family Services)
Municipal CPS Agencies
- Los Angeles, CA- DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services)
- New York City, NY- ACS (Administration for Children’s Services)
