You can file an appeal and ask for something called a “Fair Hearing”. This is where you can contest DCF’s decision; and what will occur, is that it is an administrative hearing, where the hearing officer, who is not part of the case, will listen to what DCF says and what you say, and then will decide whether it is accurate or not.

The hearing officer can order DCF to change their decision. You can appeal things such as the DCF’s decision to report abuse or neglect, if that is supported; if DCF wants to put your name on the registry of alleged perpetrators and that is a list of people that DCF says neglect or abuse their children; you want to appeal DCF’s decision to stop or reduce the services; or DCF stopped or reduced your services without giving you any advanced notice.

You can also appeal if you think DCF did not follow its own regulations and it has caused harm. There are things that you have to do to appeal; including, having your name, address, phone number, the name of the child, the name and address of the DCF office, a copy of the description of the decision you want to appeal and the date of the decision. If you need an interpreter, you need to notify DCF and say what your language you are looking for that to be. You have to send a copy to the DCF Fair Hearing Office and one to the local DCF office.

You also have the option of filing an appeal in Superior Court that is something for both of these it is generally well served to consider hiring an attorney to handle those.