Understanding DHS Investigations
Are you being investigated by DHS and you’re not sure what’s going to happen? My name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa family law attorney with Wirth Law Office. I want to help you make law easy by talking a little bit about what it looks like when DHS is investigating and what it looks like if they decide to go ahead and do a removal.
A lot of people get nervous when they realize that DHS is going to be looking into their families. And it can be scary. It absolutely can be. There are steps to go through before they just will yank your kids, though.
Initial Steps and Considerations
Depending on the allegations, a lot of times they will try to see what they can do to work with you and improve whatever caused them to be called without taking the kids out of the home. They’ve got plenty of home-based services that they can offer, including counseling. They have access to different types of assistance to try to help you out.
They might want to look at a safety plan where they don’t take the kids into state custody, but maybe just for a couple of days, they need to go stay with an aunt or uncle. Something like that can help address the situation, whether it’s abuse, neglect, or substance-related. The goal is to handle the concern without having to take the kids into state custody.
Misconceptions About DHS
A lot of people don’t realize the efforts DHS makes to keep families together. There are a lot of misconceptions about DHS. One of the not-very-nice names that people will call caseworkers is baby snatchers because they think that all they want to do is take kids and put them in state custody. They don’t, and often if you get an attorney early on in those cases, we can help negotiate with the state.
It’s possible to find solutions that meet DHS’s concerns without entering the court system. However, if you find yourself in a situation where an emergency removal is deemed necessary, sometimes that happens. In such cases, having an attorney who is familiar with the case and the facts is crucial.
Be Prepared with Legal Assistance
If an emergency removal hearing is required, it must typically be held within three days or less. Having an attorney experienced in DHS cases who is ready with all the necessary facts is essential to ensure your defense is prepared. If you think you need help or have concerns, please feel free to reach out.
Call for a Strategy Session
If this is something where you think that you need some help with or you’ve got concerns about it, please feel free to give us a call. My name is Carl Birkhead. I want to help you make law easy. For a low-cost initial strategy session, call us at 918-879-1681. Thank you.
