Reimagine Child Safety Coalition rally in May 2022 at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting. Image credit: Reimagine Child Safety Coalition
The Ties that Bind: Relationships Between Law Enforcement and the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles County
Leah Zeidler-Ordaz and Alicia Virani, UCLA Law
The federal, state, and local laws and regulations that encourage collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and Los Angeles County’s child protective services agency, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), is the subject of this report authored by Youth Justice Policy Lead Leah Zeidler-Ordaz. The report details how federal, state and local laws create information-sharing schemes that enable law enforcement and child protective services agencies to collect and share vast amounts of data, which can lead to separation of families and/or criminalization.
The author finds that law enforcement and DCFS collaborations could lead to harmful outcomes for families. In reaching these and other findings, the report relies on narratives from individuals who are impacted by the child welfare system, data regarding cases referred to both DCFS and law enforcement, and an analysis of federal, state and local laws.
Read >> The Ties That Bind: Relationships Between Law Enforcement and the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles County (Published July 2024)
