NJ DCP&P Caseworker Allegedly Beaten by Three Clients
On November 17, 2016, three people reportedly attacked an employee of the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (“DCP&P”), formerly known as the Division of Youth and Family Services (“DYFS”).
According to law enforcement, three clients attacked the caseworker inside the DCP&P local office in Newark NJ, causing multiple injuries to the victim. Subsequently, police officers arrested Tara Lewis, 32, of East Orange, Disiree Roberts, 21, of Newark, and a 16-year-old girl from East Orange, NJ.
Apparently, the DCP&P caseworker was attacked without provocation and suffered a concussion and other serious injuries. A spokesperson of the Communications Workers of America, the union that represents DCP&P employees, disclosed that the “three clients viciously and repeatedly beat the case worker, beating and kicking the worker in the head and body with feet and fists.” In addition, a spokesperson for the Department of Children and Families stated that “no weapons were involved” in the attack and that one of the office guards “intervened with others to stop the attack.”
After the vicious assault, the caseworker went to the hospital and was later released to her home.
New Jersey DCP&P serves many functions, some of which are not easy. In some cases, the Division is able to provide assistance to parents who need help providing safe and appropriate care to their children. In other circumstances, DCP&P investigates allegations of abuse and neglect and then removes children from their families, causing stress and trauma to the children and the parents. The initial news reports about the alleged assault of the DCP&P worker do not indicate what specific situation the clients were in. Regardless of the circumstances, though, it would seem that they handled things quite poorly.
If DCP&P is involved with your family, it is certainly a difficult situation to handle on your own. In fact, many parents who are dealing with DCP&P simply do not know what to do if DCP&P knocks on their door or asks them to go to the Division local office for an investigative interview.
In any circumstance, parents who are involved with DCP&P can contact an experienced DYFS defense attorney who specializes in providing legal representation during every step of a DCP&P investigation and throughout litigation, if necessary. In fact, many parents benefit from reaching out to a DCP&P defense attorney to learn about what the Division can and cannot do and how to respond to DCP&P’s intrusion into the family’s life. The bottom line is that any level of DCP&P involvement in your family’s life will be overwhelming and you don’t have to go through it alone.
