ARE YOU MA DCF KIDDING? THEY SPENT 30 BILLION DOLLARS?!
Recently I read that the child welfare system in Massachusetts (MA DCF) spends over 30 Billion dollars. I was like, “REALLY?!” Most of that money is for putting children into foster care according to the 2018 research. But 30 Billion? Wow! I want any bureaucrat from DCF or any other mouthpiece from the government to justify this.
DCF has the obligation to keep the “Family First” mentality. How is always placing children in Foster Care putting families first The number of children DCF removes and places into foster care is huge. The question then becomes, what is the effect on the parents when their children ripped away from them? And more importantly, what is the effect on the children? They now have to be raised by complete strangers called foster parents.
Most of the time, there isn’t even an end date. DCF does not tell the parents or the children if or when the children can go back home. Oddly enough, there are no statistics for how much harm this ineffective system has caused for families across the nation.
Recently I was representing a mother in her DCF case. The allegations were weak. DCF was making allegations of medial neglect and dirty home. The parents fought the medical neglect claims with a simple doctor’s appointment. They dealt with the “dirty home” claims went away with some elbow grease, a bucket of spic and span, and scrubbing. Yet DCF still removed the kids.
In a recent case, DCF removed the children and placed them into foster care. The children were forced to live with a non-relative–a total stranger. But the family had relatives DCF could have put the children with. who could care for the children here, there and everywhere. Ironically, DCF had approved one of the relatives to be a foster parent for three children just 2 weeks earlier. The fact that DCF did not know that meant DCF never read their own records. It also meant that they never communicated with the other DCF offices.
So, the child was in foster care for about one week. Maybe one week is a short amount time. I, however would argue that no child should ever be in foster care when there is family available to take the child. Foster care can be traumatic for children even when they are there for a measly week. DCF blew this one big time. I had to belly laugh when the DCF attorney told the Judge that the Department made “reasonable efforts. In another case, DCF took a child’s statements to justify removing the children from the home. DCF put the child with an Aunt within a week. Nice job by DCF.
The child told the Aunt that she was “lost” in a Walmart for about a half an hour by the foster parent. Unfortunately, when the Aunt told this to the DCF social worker, the social worker immediately replied that the child is “lying” about the foster parent. Really? Lying? Same child who DCF based part of its court report and petition to remove the children from Mom is now “Lying”. Hmmmm. So with MA DCF it really depends on what narrative they want to present. They choose, with no rhyme or reason, when a child is credible and when a child is not.
Kevin Seaver is a trusted Massachusetts DCF lawyer specialized in DCF law since 1991. 
DISCLAIMER
You find yourself in this situation, it’s advisable to seek legal representation from a qualified attorney, like those at the Law Office of Kevin Seaver, who can advocate for your rights and guide you through the complex process of a DCF investigation.
Remember that the ultimate goal of DCF is to ensure the safety and well-being of children while supporting families in crisis.
Please note that this article does not create an Attorney-Client relationship between our law firm and the reader and is provided for informational purposes only. Information in this article does not apply to all readers.
Readers should not rely on this information as legal advice and should seek specific counsel from the attorney based on personal circumstances. Thank you.
Kevin Patrick Seaver is a Massachusetts DCF Defense Lawyer who represents parents against false child abuse allegations.
Massachusetts DCF Defense Lawyer Kevin Seaver has been successfully fighting false child abuse allegations since 1991.