Get Help

Family defense offices in NYC have attorneys, social workers and parent advocates who can help you while an ACS investigation is ongoing. They can also help you clear your name from the SCR.

A person talking to their advocate in a family defense office.

Where can you find legal help?

Get the help of a social worker, parent advocate or lawyer:

The family defense offices listed above offer early defense assistance and representation to parents in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Upper Manhattan, Queens, and the rest of Manhattan. Parents living on Staten Island can call one of these offices for brief legal advice.

About Legal Help

Family defense offices have lawyers, social workers and parent advocates who may be able to help you navigate an ACS investigation. Everything you tell a law office is confidential. They will give you advice about your case and how to proceed on your case based on what information you share and what your priorities are for your family. A social worker may be able to support you by calling the CPS worker and getting more information. A social worker or a parent advocate may be able to attend a Child Safety Conference with you. Advocates can refer you for services and help you in other ways to avoid having ACS file a court case against you.

Before an office can assist you, they will have to do a conflict check to make sure they can give you advice. To do this, you will need to provide the names and dates of birth of your immediate family members, including your child's other parent. If the office has ever represented anyone who has interests that may be different than yours (like another parent), they may not be able to work with you. If the family defense office can help you, having any documentation related to your case or investigation available will be helpful in the initial case consult.

Testimonials

“I was devastated that I had to withdraw from being on the board of a youth mentoring program because of my case. With the help of Brooklyn Defender Services, I was able to clear my name and return to doing peer mentoring and helping other community members. The assistance from everyone at BDS throughout this process has been exceptional and I am extremely grateful to see this process come to a close.”

Mr. A, Parent

"I feel like the Early Defense team advocates for me when ACS tries to twist my words to mean something different than I am trying to say. I feel like parents need to have someone advocating for them when they are dealing with open investigations because ACS has a habit of knowing you have no support."

Ms. W, Parent

To learn how to get involved in transforming the family regulation system in New York, click here.