Practice Areas

Child Protective Services, Children and Youth Services and DHS Cases

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At the Law Offices of Stacy E. Schwarz, our office represents parents in Philadelphia who are involved with the child welfare system. When the City’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is investigating allegations of neglect or abuse or is taking a case to court, we will step in and help you keep your family together. If your child(ren) has been removed and placed in foster care or another environment, we will work with you to have the child(ren) returned home and will aggressively protect your rights.

You cannot put a price on your child(ren) or your ability as a parent or your love for your child(ren). At the Law Offices of Stacy E. Schwarz, our Philadelphia Child Protective Services lawyers, who are experienced in DHS and Children and Youth Services cases, will see to it that your rights are protected, that your child(ren)’s rights are protected and that you are united with your child(ren) as quickly as possible.

We will aggressively protect your rights and keep you informed of the process so that you do not feel abused yourself by the whole process. It can be overwhelming, but we will protect your rights and your child(ren)’s rights.

We will represent YOU and your family.

The State can obtain custody of a child in the following three ways:

1) Consent of the parent(s) or guardian – A parent can temporarily place a child in the custody of the state, but it cannot be for longer than 30 days. The state can extend it for longer than 30 days by going to court and obtaining a court order. In the initial 30 days, the parent(s) can have the child(ren) returned to them upon request.

2) Dependency Actions - When the state files a petition to have the child(ren) declared dependent on the state, there must be a “clear necessity” for the petition to be filed. The state can only file the petition if the child(ren) is without proper parental care or control.

3) Delinquency Actions – These actions are related to juvenile delinquency matters, which are governed by the criminal code.

For an appointment with an attorney to discuss the protection of your family and your children, contact the Pennsylvania child welfare attorney today at the Law Offices of Stacy E. Schwarz. For the convenience of our clients, we accept all major credit cards and will work out payment arrangements to make it affordable to all.