Speaker 1: DCF contacted me because there were reports filed from outside sources that I had never met before. There was one individual that had contacted other so-called mandated reporters, coaches, etcetera, and told them hearsay stories regarding what was going on in my household, none of which was founded. There were also unsupported allegations of physical abuse, but the report said they were supported. The false claim was not removed from the paperwork until Mr. Seaver put his foot down and demanded they remove it.
I felt very uncomfortable dealing with the DCF, as it’s the only department that can abruptly take your children away without any legal reason or finding, and that’s quite scary. After my involvement with the DCF in this instance, going through the entire situation from beginning to end, I now have zero faith in the department. They did not serve me in any aspect, went solely by allegations, and it was only when I hired Attorney Seaver that they decided to take me seriously.
When DCF first contacted me, I had no idea what it was regarding. There was no incident that would’ve led me to believe that there was any question of my parenting or my household. It was all hearsay, come to find. I found that the DCF was an extremely stressful, intimidating department to be involved with. I had many nightmares of them coming to take my children away.
I was afraid of them especially because of the power that DCF has over families. They could show up at any time, go through my cabinets. I felt that my and my children’s constitutional rights were violated in many aspects. However, the balance of power quickly shifted when I hired Attorney Seaver.
Upon being initially involved with the DCF, I went home and looked on the web and hired the first DCF attorney that I found. The first DCF attorney I hired never met with my children despite my repeated requests for him to do so. The attorney basically just held my hand when I signed every single document that DCF presented in front of me without question, and indicated that I had no choice but to cooperate with DCF in every single aspect. I just blindly followed the first attorney’s advice, and did not know what paperwork I had signed,.
I knew, right from the beginning, that I was not being properly represented, ie. I was never told that I had the right to a fair hearing. The first attorney did not represent me in the way that I felt I deserved to be. After investigating several different attorneys, I found Attorney Seaver and he was the clear choice. Kevin Seaver is very straightforward and to the point.
There’s no haggling, it’s either yay or nay. He knows what he’s talking about and he knows what he’s doing. I had 100% confidence that he would take care of my situation, because he truly cared. It was very clear that the well-being of me and my children were his first and foremost priority. He always advised me and stayed in constant contact to make sure I kept doing the right thing. He very much supported me in every single aspect of the investigation and always gave me the best advice, which was to do my best and hold my head up high.
I visited Attorney Seaver’s website, and when I watched the videos, I saw how strong he was and how passionate he was about protecting parents that have been wrongly accused, or been in the system, or been put through awful situations. He has a vested interest in protecting families. Attorney Seaver went above and beyond for me and my family during the entire investigation; he always went the extra mile.
He called on occasion just to check in and see how we were doing, met with my children many times, made extra trips to come out to my home and discuss with us the case on his own time, and was always by my side through every single DCF meeting, which was extremely important to me. He would not allow DCF to interview me or to speak to me without going through him first. He was my number one supporter. I was confident that he would not allow me to be treated poorly.
I would absolutely refer Attorney Seaver to anyone who was unfortunate enough to be involved in the Department of Children and Families. I actually have, during the process, told other families about Mr. Seaver and the success that I had in my case. Because of Mr. Seaver, I was not being bullied, pushed around, being treated wrongly. I feel like the DCF puts everyone involved with them in this way in the same boxes, like sheep, and they put the same label on everyone. But as soon as I hired Attorney Seaver, I felt that I was not just another sheep in the system. I stood out because I had Attorney Seaver by my side.
Anyone out there who finds themselves in this situation of being involved with Department of Children and Families, please know that you have rights. One of the first things that jumped out to me on Attorney Seaver’s website was the phrase, “You have a right to a fair hearing.” I did not know that I had this right before I discovered Mr. Seaver.
Also, it is important to be careful with what you say and to hire an attorney. Mr. Seaver is the best, and this is a clear testament to that. I wish you well with moving forward. It is very scary doing it on your own, and with Attorney Seaver by your side, it was a lot more bearable.
Mr. Seaver put his foot down with DCF on many occasions when things were not done properly. There was one instance in which I was given a document to sign with a different person’s name on it. They had told me, “Go ahead and sign it. We’ll change it later” but Mr. Seaver rejected that immediately. He was sitting next to me and had the conversation completely in his control. He said, “No way. There is no way my client is going to sign a document that has someone else’s name in it. It just wasn’t happening.” Had I been by myself at that meeting, I would have crumbled. Thankfully, I didn’t have to be in that situation because had Attorney Seaver by my side.
There were also instances where Attorney Seaver told me in a meeting at the regional office, “I have your back, let me speak for you.” The meeting was with a DCF social worker, who was unable to answer the questions that Mr. Seaver was asking. The social worker even said, “Let her answer the questions. You don’t speak for her.” Mr. Seaver’s immediate response to that was, “This is my client and I am here to represent her. I absolutely speak for her.” I felt so comfortable, protected, and safe in an environment that was really uncomfortable and unsafe, especially because anything you say can be twisted around or changed and interpreted very wrongly. Mr. Seaver totally had my back and my children’s throughout every single meeting and every single conversation with Department of Children and Families.
When the DCF came after me, they did not allow me to have an attorney present at the first meeting. Once I gained representation from Attorney Seaver, that completely changed. DCF had to go through Mr. Seaver before getting to me regarding questions, documents, and information that was to be provided. Mr. Seaver told me to have DCF call him first if they were to reach out to me directly. They were not to contact me in any capacity. They were to contact Mr. Seaver first, always. He was definitely my supporter and protector … I don’t know. I’m going to stop now.
Speaker 2: That’s fine. We got it.
Speaker 1: If you are watching this video, and are involved with the DCF, call Mr. Seaver as soon as possible. It’s necessary to have a great attorney like him from the beginning of your process, before you sign away your constitutional rights and give the DCF any information. When I hired Attorney Seaver, I had no knowledge of the situation I was involved in. I didn’t understand what a Family Action Plan was and I didn’t know my rights.
Before I hired Mr. Seaver, during my first meeting DCF, I believed them when they said they had the right to take my children away if I left the building. I was bullied into providing personal information that I didn’t need to. As my attorney, Mr. Seaver really educated me on what rights I had, what the DCF will do, and what he will not allow them to do.
I would like to say if you are watching this video right now, I am so sorry. I am sorry that you’ve been put through this situation, and the only thing I can say is that the best thing you can do for yourself is to hire attorney Kevin Patrick Seaver. He was a lifesaver for me and for my children. He changed the tide, empowered me, and gave me a sense of self-esteem. Mr. Seaver holds himself with utmost professionalism, but he will take care of you as aggressively as the DCF is coming after you.
There was no incident or any significant issue or event that forced the DCF to be involved with my family. One day, I received a phone call from a DCF investigator asking me to come to the office because reports had been filed. She said I needed to do this immediately, and I complied. Upon arriving in the office, I was met with hostility and was told of some of the reports that were filed. I then learned that they had went to my children’s schools and interviewed them individually without me or an attorney present.
At that point I requested that we reschedule the meeting so that I could further educate myself and obtain an attorney but I was told, point blank, that if I left the building and did not cooperate and did not answer all of their questions, they would remove my children that afternoon. It was very scary, so I cooperated and answered their questions.
Upon arriving home, I immediately went to the Internet to find an attorney. I hired the first one I found online, and it was very clear from the beginning that I was not being properly represented. But he did not advise me that I had a right to a fair hearing. Instead, he basically told me to sign away all my constitutional rights and all of the documents, and said I had no choice but to do so. “Sign these documents, you have no choice.” In addition, he never met with my children, which I had asked the attorney to do, several occasions.
About eight weeks into being involved with the department, I realized that my attorney was not properly representing me or my family. That’s when I sought other counsel. I looked at lots of other attorneys and the one who stood out the most as to be on spot what I needed, someone to represent me and stand up for me, was the Law Office of Kevin Patrick Seaver. I was very fortunate to find his office at the beginning of the involvement. It was only unfortunate that I didn’t find him first. If I had Attorney Seaver from the beginning, things would have been very different.
During the investigation there were several issues that were just not right and did not make sense. They have a time-frame in order to provide the Family Action Plan, and they went well beyond this time-frame to provide it to me and Attorney Seaver. After repeatedly requesting this document, it was not provided until after a 60-day period. Meanwhile, I was doing everything on my end that was requested of me and I was stuck in the middle, because they were not following through with what they needed to provide so that I could move forward with getting myself out of this situation.
When they finally provided me with the Family Action Plan and asked me to sign it, there was a different person’s name in the document. They told me, “Go ahead and sign the document. We’ll change it later.” Thankfully, Mr. Seaver argued that I should not have to sign something that did not have my name on it. Mr. Seaver had no part of that. Mr. Seaver spoke for me, which I was very grateful for, and I did not sign the document, which I would have done without his representation.
Two red flags went up for me for this situation. First, if someone else’s name was in my report and they were going to change it later, I wondered if there were other things that they would change after I signed the document. Second, and most importantly, this person’s name was in the DCF Family Action Plan that was designed for my family and my children. This persons’ privacy rights were violated completely, and I was afraid the same thing could happen to me.
There was one other occasion that I had to go to the DCF office, and I ran into another parent waiting for an appointment who I had known through a group that DCF had me involved with. I showed up with Attorney Seaver, and they took us in for an appointment first. As we were leaving, I wished the other parent luck, as she was in the office seeking help from DCF in order to rectify a situation that she was having a hard time with.
A few days later I ran into that same person and asked, “How did you do with DCF? Did they help you? Did you get everything you needed? Did you get what you wanted to?” I was told the entire meeting revolved around what she knew about me, was she going to hire up Mr. Seaver, and very inquisitive questions regarding how we knew each other. It was more of an interrogation for her about me and my attorney.
I have to say, sitting in the office with Mr. Seaver by my side gave me the confidence that I was being very well taken care of. I felt that he definitely had my back in every single aspect. In addition, Mr. Seaver made several trips to my home, met with my children, explained to them what the situation was, and was a supportive figure in our lives. I cannot put into words his impact on me and my family. He got my case closed quickly and without the stress that I would have went through had I not had Mr. Seaver by my side.
If I have one word of advice, it would be if you ever are unfortunate enough to be involved with the Department of Children and Families, please call Kevin Seaver first. He should be your first call. When I realized I wasn’t being properly represented by the first attorney, I hired Mr. Seaver and things 100% changed in my favor after that. It was the best thing that I have ever done for me and my children.
Kevin Seaver is an experienced, trusted lawyer who successfully represents clients against DCF from Boston, Massachusetts. Call Kevin at (617) 263-2633 or request a Consultation online!
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.