Educational Resources
CPS & Family Court Resources
Parents dealing with CPS, child welfare, dependency court, custody, visitation, or related family court matters often have questions and may not know where to begin. These resources are designed to help you understand common processes, organize information, and know what questions to ask.
Tools & Directories
Tools & Directories
50-State Court Records Search Directory
Find official court case search websites for all 50 states. Search court dockets, custody cases, guardianship records, probate matters, and available public court documents.
Child Welfare / CPS
Child Welfare / CPS
CPS Attorney vs. Case Advocate: What’s the Difference?
Not sure whether you need a CPS attorney or a case advocate? Learn what each role can and cannot do, what help each provides, and which type of support may fit your situation.
Child Welfare / CPS
What to Do After CPS Removes Your Child
A practical overview of the immediate steps parents can take after a child removal, including documents, hearings, evidence, services, and attorney communication.
Child Welfare / CPS
What Happens at the First CPS Court Hearing?
Learn what may happen at the first CPS or child welfare court hearing, what documents may be reviewed, what questions to ask, and how to prepare.
Child Welfare / CPS
What Does CPS Look for Before Reunification?
Common factors child welfare agencies and courts may consider before reunification, including services, visitation, safety, housing, and documentation.
Child Welfare / CPS
What Evidence Should I Gather for a CPS Case?
Types of documents and evidence that may be important to organize in a CPS case, including messages, records, services, visits, and timelines.
Child Welfare / CPS
What Is a CPS Case Plan?
What a CPS or child welfare case plan may include, how services and goals are tracked, and why documenting compliance can matter.
Child Welfare / CPS
CPS Visitation Problems
How to document missed CPS visits, cancellations, shortened visits, scheduling problems, and other visitation issues during a child welfare case.
Child Welfare / CPS
Completed Your CPS Case Plan but Children Aren't Home?
Completed your CPS case plan but your children still haven’t returned home? Learn how to organize your services, completion records, visitation, CPS reports, court orders, and unresolved case issues.
Child Welfare / CPS
What Happens at a CPS Review or Reunification Hearing?
Have a CPS court hearing coming up? Learn what parents may want to organize before a review or reunification hearing, including case plans, services, visitation, reports, and court orders.
Child Welfare / CPS
Texas CPS Compliance Hearing: What Parents Should Prepare
Have a Texas CPS compliance hearing coming up? Learn what parents may want to organize beforehand, including court orders, service records, completion certificates, and caseworker reports.
Child Welfare / CPS
Positive THC Test at Birth in Florida: What Parents Should Know
What happens if mom or baby tests positive for THC at birth in Florida? Learn what parents should know about hospital testing, CPS/DCF reporting, medical records, and what to organize.
Child Welfare / CPS
What Happens When Medical Neglect Is Reported to CPS?
Does CPS investigate medical neglect? Learn what medical neglect generally means, what information may matter, and why a medical condition alone does not establish neglect.
Child Welfare / CPS
Does CPS Investigate Emotional Abuse? What Families Should Know
Is emotional abuse enough for CPS to investigate? Learn what CPS may consider, how allegations differ from documented harm, and what information may matter when a report is made.
Child Welfare / CPS
Can You Report Child Abuse to CPS Anonymously or Confidentially?
Can I make a CPS report without the family knowing it was me? Learn the difference between anonymous and confidential reporting, how rules vary by state, and what information CPS needs.
Child Welfare / CPS
Texas CPS Child Neglect Investigation: What Families Should Know
What happens when CPS investigates child neglect in Texas? Learn what families should organize, how to separate allegations from documented facts, and what questions to ask a Texas attorney.
Child Welfare / CPS
How to Get CPS Records
The general process for requesting CPS and child welfare records, what records may exist, and why access rules differ by state.
Child Welfare / CPS
CPS Closed the Case as Unsubstantiated—What Should the Family Do Next?
CPS or DCS closed the investigation as unsubstantiated or unfounded? Learn what the finding may mean, which records to preserve, how to create a timeline, and how to move forward responsibly.
Child Welfare / CPS
What Can a Relative Do If They Believe a Child Is Being Neglected or Abused?
A compassionate guide for relatives and concerned adults who believe a child may be unsafe—covering how to report neglect, what happens after a CPS report, temporary care options, and how to document concerns responsibly.
Child Welfare / CPS
When Does CPS Remove a Child From the Home?
A factual guide explaining how CPS decides whether a child can remain safely at home—covering safety factors, emergency removal, safety plans, substance use, relative placement, and what happens after removal.
Child Welfare / CPS
What Happens When CPS Gets Involved After a Domestic Violence Incident?
A survivor-sensitive guide for parents involved with CPS after children witnessed or were present during a domestic-violence incident—covering investigations, safety plans, protective orders, documentation, and parental rights.
Child Custody / Family Court
Child Custody / Family Court
What Evidence Helps in a Child Custody Case?
Documents and evidence that may be important to organize in a custody case, including parenting records, messages, school records, medical records, and timelines.
Child Custody / Family Court
How to Prepare for Child Custody Mediation
How to prepare for child custody mediation by organizing parenting schedules, concerns, records, proposed solutions, and questions.
Child Custody / Family Court
What If the Other Parent Violates a Custody Order?
How to document possible custody-order violations, missed exchanges, denied parenting time, and recurring parenting-time problems.
Child Custody / Family Court
Can I Change a Child Custody Order?
Why parents may seek to modify custody or parenting-time orders and what information may be important to organize before requesting a change.
Child Custody / Family Court
How to Organize Evidence for a Child Custody Case
A step-by-step guide to organizing custody evidence into timelines, messages, parenting-time records, school records, medical records, and court documents.
Child Custody / Family Court
Other Parent Withholding Court-Ordered Visitation?
What parents should document when the other parent is withholding court-ordered visitation or parenting time, including how to log incidents and preserve evidence.
Child Custody / Family Court
50/50 Custody Without a Court Order: What Parents Should Know
What parents should document when sharing custody 50/50 without a court order, and why an informal parenting arrangement can become difficult when disagreements arise.
Child Custody / Family Court
Changing 50/50 Custody to Majority Parenting Time
What records, schedules, communications, and child-centered information may be important to organize when considering a change from 50/50 custody to majority parenting time.
Child Custody / Family Court
2-2-3 Custody Schedule Explained: How It Works for Parents
How a 2-2-3 custody schedule works, with a simple example calendar, common considerations, exchange frequency, and questions parents may want to discuss.
Child Custody / Family Court
Custody Interim Conference: What Parents Should Prepare
What documents, court orders, timelines, records, exhibits, and questions parents may want to organize before a custody interim conference.
Child Custody / Family Court
How to Document Parenting Time Without a Co-Parenting App
The other parent won’t use a co-parenting app? Learn how to build a private parenting-time log with dated entries, exchanges, messages, schedule changes, and supporting records.
Child Custody / Family Court
My Teen Refuses Court-Ordered Parenting Time—What Can I Do?
When a teenager refuses court-ordered visitation, the custody order still applies. Learn what parents can document, what court options exist, and how to prepare—with a Minnesota-specific section.
Child Custody / Family Court
My Family-Law Attorney Withdrew Before Court—What Should I Do?
Losing your family-law attorney before a custody hearing can feel overwhelming. Learn what to confirm, what to request from your former attorney, and how to prepare immediately—with a 48-hour action plan.
Child Support
Child Support
Child Support Help & Case Organization
Confused about your child support case? The Case Advocates helps parents organize child support orders, payment records, income information, custody schedules, expenses and court documents so they can better understand and prepare for their case.
Child Support
50/50 Custody and Child Support: What Parents Should Know
Can child support still be ordered with 50/50 custody? Learn what financial records, parenting-time information, existing orders, and calculation inputs parents should organize when child support is disputed or may need review.
Child Support
Other Parent Isn’t Helping Financially? Child Support Records to Organize
The other parent isn’t contributing financially? Learn what payment records, custody orders, expenses, income information, and child-related documents parents should organize before seeking professional guidance about child support.
Child Support
Unpaid Child Support: What If the Other Parent Cannot Be Located?
Child support is unpaid and the other parent cannot be located? Learn what payment records, returned mail, service attempts, and parent-location information to organize when an enforcement or violation hearing is approaching.
Protection Orders / Domestic Violence
Protection Orders / Domestic Violence
How to Prepare for a Domestic Violence Protection Order Hearing When a Child Is Involved
Learn how to organize documents, evidence, timelines and questions before a domestic violence protection order hearing involving a child—especially when you cannot afford a private attorney.
Still Have Questions About Your Case?
The Case Advocates can help you organize documents, timelines, evidence, missing records, and case information. Start by completing the confidential intake.