Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting and Investigation

Fact sheet prepared by the Children's Law Center of Massachusetts.  From the introduction: "A Care and Protection (C&P) case is a court proceeding in which someone, usually the Depart- ment of Children and Families (DCF), files a peti- tion stating that a child is at risk of…

DCF has reasonable cause to find neglect where a young child witnesses domestic violence and expresses sadness. Here, domestic violence was found when one parent was yelling and throwing objects. Hearing officer will consider past domestic violence reports and substance abuse in determining whether…