Department of Children and Families
Releases Updated Family Guides

The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF, formerly DSS) recently announced the publication of A Family’s Guide to Child Protective Services. The new Family’s Guide includes updated information regarding: what to expect when DCF becomes involved with a family; how DCF assesses the safety and risk of children and what happens when a child needs to be removed from their home. The Guide also includes sections on a family’s rights and responsibilities as well as where to find support.

This new guide also reflects a service delivery transformation currently underway at DCF. The agency has implemented a series of innovative reforms to improve outcomes for children and families. These include: engaging and empowering children and families to ensure that DCF services reflect their voice; training and providing social workers with new tools to focus on the unique circumstances of each case, including the strengths of each family; and using data and evidence-based tools to drive quality improvement and accountability at every level of the organization. The new approach also allows more time for DCF staff to work with a family and to gather information, with the goal of keeping more children in their own homes and communities whenever possible.

Child Protective Services: A Family's Guide

This Guide explains the role of the Department of Children and Families' social workers and other staff who team together to serve you and your family.  The Guide also explains why an investigation may be taking place, a family's options and rights during the investigation, the potential outcomes of an investigation, as well as fair hearings and the grievance process.

-Thanks to Liz Speakman for forwarding and Susan Lipton for reviewing and suggesting content for this article.

Rev 5/19