State-Based Resources for Parents Seeking Help in Navigating the Child Welfare System
How to use this resource guide: If you are dealing with Child Protective Services and need help (in the form of legal aid, support, or information about how the system works) use this list to find resources in your state. Find your state under the first list, read the description of the organization, and, if it provides the types of services that you’re looking for, contact them by phone or e-mail. If there are no organizations listed under your state, refer to the second list for state-specific guides that provide information about how to navigate a Child Protective Services investigation in your state. If there is no resource guide listed for your state, consult this general guide to the child welfare system.
Organizations that provide legal support, mentoring, or other services for parents navigating the child welfare system
California
- Dependency Legal Services
- Description: Dependency Legal Services aims to provide a multi-disciplinary team of professionals to families who are involved with the child welfare system in order to achieve the most successful outcomes.
- Website: http://www.dependencyls.com/
- Phone Numbers:
- Stanislaus County: 209-499-8555
- Sonoma County: 707-526-3737
- Mendocino County: 707-462-5506
- Marin County: 415-858-2704
- E-mail: info@dependencyls.com
- A Better Way
- Description: A Better Way provides two programs: (1) the Parent Engagement Program which matches parents with Parent Advocates who provide education, advocacy, and support and (2) the Peer Parent Program which provides peer-to-peer mentoring services for San Francisco families involved with the Child Protective Services or families with children involved with the Juvenile Probation Department.
- Website: https://www.abetterwayinc.net/
- Phone Number: 510-601-0203
- E-mail: mail@abetterwayinc.net
- Every Mother is a Working Mother
- Description: Every Mother is a Working Mother advocates against unjust removals of children to the child welfare system. They take individual cases from around the country, and their websites provide a “know your rights” information sheet.
- Website: http://www.everymothernetwork.net/
- Phone: 323-276-9833
- E-mail: la@allwomencount.net
Colorado
- The Elephant Circle
- Description: The Elephant Circle can provide legal advice for parents (as well as their attorneys and other advocates) as well as representation for those facing abuse and neglect investigations, findings, and court proceedings.
- Website: http://elephantcircle.net/
- Phone: Contact Indra Lusero at 720-504-8206
- E-mail: Contact Indra Lusero at indra@elephantcircle.org
Illinois
- Family Defense Center
- Description: The Family Defense Center provides legal services for individuals who need representation in DCFS administrative hearings and investigations in Illinois. In addition, they may provide you with referrals to other legal support groups.
- Website: http://www.familydefensecenter.net/
- E-mail: fdc@familydefensecenter.org
- Phone Number: 312-251-9800 ext. 18
- CARPLS Legal Aid Hotline
- Description: The CARPLS Legal Aid Hotline can provide low-income people in Cook County with extensive referrals, information and answers to their questions, and legal advice about their child welfare case.
- Website: https://www.carpls.org/
- Hotline Phone Number: 312-738-9200
Iowa
- Parent Partners
- Description: Parent Partners (people who have been through DHS and made it through the system) mentor and support parents have had their children taken away and are currently going through the system.
- Website: http://dhs.iowa.gov/parent-partners
- E-mail: Contact Sarah Persons at SaraP@cfiowa.org
- Phone number: Contact Sarah Persons at 641-799-9081
Kansas
- Kansas Family Advisory Network (KFAN)
- Description: KFAN supports and teaches families about the court system and how it works by doing everything it can to provide birth/kinship parents with all of the information that is typically given to foster/adoptive parents in the child welfare system.
- Website: http://www.kfan.org/
- Phone Number: 1-800-969-5764 (toll-free), 316-529-9137, or 529-9138
- E-mail: kfaninfo@gmail.com
Michigan
- Detroit Center for Family Advocacy
- Description: The Detroit Center for Family Advocacy (CFA) provides legal advocacy and social work services to low-income families in Wayne County to prevent the unnecessary placement and prolonged stay of children in foster care.
- Website: https://www.law.umich.edu/centersandprograms/pcl/cfa/Pages/default.aspx
- Phone Number: 313-875-4233
- E-mail: lawdetroitcfa@umich.edu
- Detroit Parent Network
- Description: The Detroit Parent Network provides parenting classes, support groups, and parent leadership classes.
- Website: http://www.detroitparentnetwork.org/
- Phone Number: 313-832-0617
- E-mail: emailus@detroitparentnetwork.org
New Jersey
- The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN)
- Description: The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN) provides information and support to families to help them navigate systems that impact their children and their family, including education, health, mental health, human services, disability, child welfare, child care, and others.
- Website: www.spanadvocacy.org
- Phone Number: 800-654-SPAN (7726)
New York
- Child Welfare Organizing Project (CWOP)
- Description: CWOP is an organization of parents and professionals seeking reform of New York City child welfare practices through increased, meaningful parent/client involvement in child welfare decision-making at all levels. They provide parents navigating the child welfare system with the support of parent advocates (individuals who have been through the system, many of whom are recovering mothers, who are trained to support and advocate for parents going through the system now).
- Website: http://www.cwop.org/
- Phone Number: 212-348-3000
- E-mail: Fill out the contact form here: http://www.cwop.org/find-help.html
- Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT)
- Description: LIFT has Education and Information Sites as well as Family Legal Centers in the family courts of all five boroughs where they provide answers to legal questions and help parents navigate the courts. In addition, LIFT can answer your questions through their hotline or via e-mail.
- Website: http://www.liftonline.org/
- Hotline Phone Number: 212-343-1122
- E-mail: info@LIFTonline.org
- Center for Family Representation
- Description: The Center for Family Representation has every client work with a team of professionals that includes a lawyer; social worker; and parent advocate, a trained professional who has firsthand experience with the child welfare system and has been successfully reunited with his or her children.
- Website: http://www.cfrny.org/
- Phone Number: 212-691-0950
- E-mail: info@cfrny.org
Oregon
- Parents Anonymous and Parent Mentor Group of Oregon (Morrison Child and Family Services)
- Description: Parents Anonymous of Oregon is an evidenced-based family strengthening program that serves as a culturally responsive and community-based intervention and prevention program, and it offers a safe environment for parents seeking support. The Parent Mentor Program provides peer mentoring to parents impacted by addiction and involved with the child welfare system.
- Website: http://www.morrisonkids.org/parents+anonymous_+of+oregon+_+parent+mentor+program.aspx
- Phone Number: 503-258-4565
- Family Nurturing Center
- Description: The Family Nurturing Center provides crisis support, emergency financial support, monthly diapers, a clothing closet, parenting groups, and referrals to other agencies. While there is a Parent Mentor Program, unfortunately, you may not self-refer into it, you must be referred by DHS.
- Website: http://familynurturingcenter.org/
- Phone Numbers:
- Jackson County: 541-779-5242
- Josephine County: 541-295-8128
- E-mail: info@familynurturingcenter.org
Pennsylvania
- Juvenile Court Project
- Description: The Juvenile Court Project advocates for the interests and legal rights of indigent parents whose children are the subjects of Juvenile Court dependency and termination of parental rights proceedings in Allegheny County.
- Website: http://www.acbfparentadvocates.org/index.html
- Phone Number: 412-391-4467
- Every Mother is a Working Mother
- Description: Every Mother is a Working Mother advocates against unjust removals of children to the child welfare system. They will take individual cases from around the country, and their websites provide a “know your rights” information sheet.
- Website: http://www.everymothernetwork.net/
- phone number: 215-848-1120
- Email: philly@allwomencount.net
- Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (only take Philadelphia clients)
- Description: The Community Legal Services of Philadelphia provides a broad range of services, mainly for low-income Philadelphia residents. This includes legal representation for parents navigating the child welfare system. CLS has also put together a video and a written guide for parents navigating the child welfare system in Pennsylvania, which can be found below in the “Online Resource Guides” section.
- Website: https://clsphila.org/about-cls
- Phone Number: 215-981-3765
Texas
- Parent Guidance Center
- Description: The Parent Guidance Center provides parent advocates or parental rights consultants for individuals navigating Child Protective Services. In addition, their website has an extensive parent resource guide.
- Website: http://parentguidancecenter.org/
- E-mail: info@parentguidancecenter.org
Vermont
- Vermont Parent Representation Center
- Description: Although the Vermont Parent Representation Center is shifting towards a policy initiative, and away from direct client representation, effective August 2016, they will continue to provide over the phone advice to parents losing children to state custody. They will try to raise the funds to continue to, at some point in the future, take on clients again.
- Website: http://vtprc.org/
- Phone Number: 802-540-0200
Washington
- Washington State Parent Ally Committee
- Description: The Washington State Parent Ally Committee consists of parent allies who have navigated the child welfare system and advocate for birth parents. Additionally they provide advocacy support for the Parents for Parents program, a mentorship program that educates parents about dependency process and provides ongoing support throughout parents' dependency cases.
- Website: http://www.washingtonstatepac.org/
- Phone Number: 206-695-3238
- E-mail: Fill out the contact form here: http://www.washingtonstatepac.org/contact-us.html
- Parent Representation Program at the Washington State Office of Public Defense
- Description: OPD contracts with attorneys to represent indigent parents, custodians, and legal guardians involved in child dependency and termination of parental rights proceedings in 31 of Washington’s counties.
- Website: http://www.opd.wa.gov/index.php/program/parents-representation
- Phone Number: 360-586-3164 or 1-800-414-6064 (mention the Parent Representation Program)
- E-mail: opd@opd.wa.gov (mention the Parent Representation Program)
- CLEAR (Coordinated Legal Education, Advice and Referral) Hotline
- Description: The CLEAR Hotline can help you better understand your CPS case, give you information and advice on some issues, and provide you with appropriate referrals for issues CLEAR does not assist with.
- Website: https://nwjustice.org/clear-hotline
- Hotline Phone Number: 1-888-201-1014
Wyoming
- Equal Justice Wyoming
- Description: Equal Justice Wyoming takes on a broader range of clientele than simply parents navigating the child welfare system. However, under the umbrella of what they do is providing representation as well as advocacy groups for parents facing child welfare cases.
- Website: http://www.legalhelpwy.org/
- Phone Number: 307-777-8383
Online Resource Guides
Note: Guides marked with a (*) were produced the Child Protective Services agency or the courts in your state. Thus, it is important to keep in mind that, while they do provide important and useful information, they often are not written with a parent advocacy focus, but rather just outline how the system is supposed to work. Guides marked with (+) were produced by organizations that have a parent advocacy focus (some were even written with the input of parents who have been through the system).
- Alaska
- An outline of your rights as a parent facing a report of maltreatment and answers to common questions about a child protection initial assessment.
- Arizona
- Information and answers to common questions from the Department of Child Safety.
- Arkansas
- An explanation of what happens when you and your child come into contact with DCFS.
- California
- A guide to help parents who are navigating the child welfare system, including the personal story and advice of a woman who was able to be reunified with her children after they were removed.
- Connecticut
- Answers to common questions and an outline of your rights as a parent dealing with a DCF investigation.
- Delaware
- A parent handbook, intended to provide you with an overview of DFS services and answers to common questions.
- District of Columbia
- Information on how to understand your abuse/neglect case from the District of Columbia Courts
- A fact sheet describing what to expect if you are being investigated by the DC Child and Family Services Agency.
- Florida
- Answers to common questions and other important information about dependency cases with the Department of Children and Families.
- Hawaii
- Answers to common questions and other important information about Child Welfare Services.
- Illinois
- General information about the child abuse and neglect system in Illinois and some guidance for parents and other caregivers when they are involved in such investigations.
- Iowa
- This handbook was written to help you understand what is likely to happen in Juvenile Court and who the people are that may be involved.
- Kansas
- A brochure on what you need to know about investigations of child abuse/neglect. From the Kansas Department for Children and Families
- Kentucky
- This guide gives you information on your rights and responsibilities as a parent and explains what you can expect from CHFS while your child is being cared for by a relative or by foster parents.
- Maine
- Information and answers to common questions about Child Protective Services.
- Massachusetts
- This guide, written by and for parents, answers common questions and helps you make a plan for how to deal with DCF.
- Information and answers to common questions about being contacted by the Department of Children and Families.
- Michigan
- A guide to help you understand and prepare for working with CPS.
- Minnesota
- A guide to help understand what county social services staff does when a report of child abuse or neglect is accepted.
- Montana
- This guide is meant to help you understand what happens during a Child and Family Services Division assessment and investigation.
- Nevada
- Brochure with information and answers to common questions about what to expect if you are involved in a CPS case.
- New Jersey
- This handbook was written to explain the role of Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P) workers and other staff who work together to serve you and your family.
- New Mexico
- Information and answers to common questions about being involved in a child abuse or neglect case.
- New York
- This is a thorough survival guide to the NYC Child Welfare System, written by and for parents.
- This guide explains what happens if you are being prosecuted for abusing or neglecting your children.
- North Carolina
- Disclaimer: this guide might be a little dated.
This handbook explains what you might expect if your child is about to go into foster care.
- North Dakota
- A guide with information and answers to common questions about North Dakota Child Protection Services.
- Ohio
- This guide tells you what Children Services must do to ensure safety when children cannot remain at home. It will tell you why the Juvenile Court gets involved and what you need to do for your child to come home.
- Oklahoma
- This comprehensive guide to the child welfare system provides information and answers common questions.
- Pennsylvania
- This is a guide for parents, detailing the Pennsylvania dependency process.
- This video is a guide to navigating the Pennsylvania dependency process.
- Rhode Island
- This resource answers parents’ common questions about each stage of the CPS process.
- South Carolina
- This is a resource that provides parents facing a child abuse or neglect investigation with information and answers to common questions.
- This is a brochure that outlines a parent’s rights and provides information and answers to common questions about DSS abuse or neglect investigations.
- South Dakota
- This guide provides an introduction to why your child is in foster care, what the juvenile court is, your rights as a parent, and what you can do to get your child back.
- Tennessee
- This is a handbook is meant to help parents facing a child abuse or neglect case understand what will happen.
- Texas
- This handbook is designed to help parents understand the Texas child welfare system, their role and responsibilities when involved in a Child Protective Services case, and the roles and responsibilities of others.
- Vermont
- This brochure is meant to help parents understand what to expect when faced with the Family Services Division.
- This brochure explains your rights and what to expect if your child has been taken into DCF custody.
- Virginia
- The purpose of this brochure is to help you understand the Child Protective Services (CPS) reporting and response process.
- Washington
- Answers to common questions and other important information about Child Protective Services.
- Wisconsin
- This brochure is intended to help parents understand what to expect if they are involved in a child protective service case.
- Wyoming
- * Handbook for Parents, Guardians, and Custodians in Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings and accompanying Video
- This handbook and video are meant to help you understand Juvenile Court and to inform you of your rights and responsibilities as a parent.
- Other
- Rise is an online magazine written by parents who have faced the child welfare system, illuminating every aspect of the child welfare experience from their perspective.
- The Family Law and Cannabis Alliance provides fact sheets on drug laws, information on dealing with CPS, and state profiles in the resources section of their website.
If you wish to have your organization/online resource listed here, please contact us at info@advocatesforpregnantwomen.org.
If you would like to learn more about the child welfare system we encourage you to explore the Child Welfare Information Gateway as well as the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform.
Last Updated on August 3rd, 2016.