This panel will introduce attendees to how to advocate for a client facing a standard 100-year inclusion on the Child Abuse Central Index, a list of people who are suspected of having abused or severely neglected a child in California. The California Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains the list of names and other information about people whom the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) believes more likely than not committed “abuse” or “severe neglect” of anyone under 18. It also contains the names of the children DCFS has identified as the victims of abuse or severe neglect.
Civil Liberties
California “Child Welfare” Investigations 101
Any time you are involved with the “Child Protective Services” (CPS) or the “child welfare” system, it could have big effects on your family that last a long time. But, as a parent, you do have rights. It is important to know what these rights are and use them to protect your family. Below is information on how a CPS investigation works and your rights during the investigation.
No More Shackles: A report on the written policies of California’s counties under the new law that limits the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners (2014)
In March 2013, LSPC embarked on a project to determine whether all 58 California counties had written new policies on the shackling of pregnant prisoners to comply with the 2012 legislation. This report explains the new statute, describes our efforts to obtain documentation from the counties, outlines our findings, and makes recommendations for additional legislation, regulation, and research. Our findings address each county’s policy as it is written; we are not able to report on the counties’ practices.
No More Shackles II: A follow- up report on California counties’ written policies under the 2012 law limiting restraing of pregnant prisoners (2017)
This report details LSPC’s recent effort to update our investigation into the implementation of California’s anti-shackling law. We focus specifically on the 36 counties determined to be non-compliant in 2014. In the following pages we explain the relevant legal authority, describe our research methodology, and outline the findings of our 8-month investigation.
