In care & protection cases, the court appoints something called a “Court Investigator”, which is very similar to a “Guardian ad Litem” in Probate Court. The Judge tries to get as much relative information from an impartial source that might not otherwise be presented by any of the parties in the case.

The Court Investigator investigates conditions of the child by doing an investigation and make a report under oath. It is supposed to be factual information and identifying the sources that the person speaks to. It can be reviewed by the court and the attorneys for the case and there can be Motions to Strike, but essentially the Court Investigator will meet with the parties with the child and DCF; review the records; speak to the contacts that both DCF and the parties provided and then make some recommendations.

It is a very important aspect of the DCF case and what you would tell the Court Investigator would not be confidential, meaning it would go into the Court Investigators report. You can have an attorney present with you; you can choose to answer or not to answer questions or to speak to the Court Investigator.