Dependency Court Observation

Children are removed from out of their homes on several occasions. When it comes to the Department of Children and Families children are removed, once a call comes in from the abuse hotline, an investigator is sent out to where the suspected incidence has occurred. If it is found that the child is as harm and is not in a safe environment, the child is then removed from the home. Within 24hrs there is a court hearing or shelter hearing, where the DCF worker provided evidence of while the child should remain out of the home, and the judge provides the final decision if the child is at harm or not, and if the child should remain where the DCF investigator has placed him or her. This essay will provide an insight on my experience while sitting through a shelter hearing. It will also share how the theories that have been discussed during this …show more content…
Dependency Court Observation
During my visit to the court house I had the opportunity to sit through a shelter hearing. A shelter hearing is when a DCF worker has removed a child from his or her home, and now they are in front of a judge stating why they removed the child, and determines if the child was abused or neglected. During this case there was a newborn. The baby was born 11/3/2016, and the worker stated that the child was removed from the parent because the mother is homeless and can’t meet the child needs. The DCF worker also stated that the child has been staying with neighbors. There are no immediate family members that are willing to care for the child, because they don’t agree with the relationship that the mother is currently in with the child father. When referring to child maltreatment, what is to be considered is any form of child abuse or neglect. In this case the mother is homeless and she can’t meet the child’s needs. If utilizing the Child Maltreatment Index, this would