Usually a division within the child welfare agency that responds to and investigates child abuse and neglect allegations and provides initial services to stabilize a family.
Services that concentrate on ensuring that a child's needs (i.e., health, social, welfare, safety etc.,) are met and to guarantee that he/she is not within a situation which can be of danger to him/her. (children, for them, care, with it, service) (children, looking after them, with them, services)
A program of identifiable and specialized child welfare which seeks to: prevent dependency, abuse and exploitation of children by reaching out with social services to stabilize family life and preserve the family unit by focusing on families where unresolved problems have produced visible signs of dependency or abuse and the home situation presents actual and potential hazards to the physical or emotional well-being of children. The program shall seek to strengthen parental capacity and ability to provide good childcare.
An official agency of a State having the responsibility for child protective services and activities.
All states have some form of state agency with the mandate of investigating and protecting children at risk. The primary tasks of CPS include investigating reports of abuse or neglect and provide services to children and families with problems related to child maltreatment.
A division of Administration for Children, Youth, and Families. CPS: The entity within ACYF that accepts and investigates referrals about child abuse or neglect.
Human services, often including social, medical, legal, residential, and custodial care, which are provided to children whose caregiver is not providing for their needs. Social workers, who work in units of government agencies often help legal authorities with investigations to determine if children are in need of such services, help children obtain services when needed, and may provide such services themselves.
Refer to CPS for definition.
An official public agency, usually a unit of the public county social services agency, responsible for receiving and investigating reports of suspected abuse or neglect of children and for ensuring that services are provided to children and families to prevent abuse and neglect.
Designed to safeguard the child when there is suspicion of abuse, neglect, or abandonment, or when there is no family to take care of the child. Examples of help delivered in the home include financial assistance, vocational training, homemaker services, and day care. If in-home supports are insufficient, the child may be removed from the home on a temporary or permanent basis. The goal is to keep the child with his or her family whenever possible.
The designated social services agency (in most states) to receive reports, investigate and provide intervention and treatment services to children and families in which child maltreatment has occurred. Frequently, this agency is located within larger public social service agencies, such as Departments of Social Services.
Child Protective Services is the name of a governmental agency in many states in the United States that responds to child abuse and neglect. Some states use other names, often attempting to reflect more family-centered (as opposed to child-centered) practices, such as "Department of Children & Family Services" (DCFS).