This page is your library of official CPS and child welfare policy manuals, starting with Alabama and expanding state by state. These are the rules DHR and CPS are required to follow, yet too often they ignore them.
Use this page to protect yourself:
Find your state’s policies. Read the sections that apply to your situation. Write down every step where DHR or CPS violated their own manuals.
Every violation you document strengthens your record. These policies are their rules, and when they break them, families have the proof they need.
This page contains direct links to official CPS and child welfare policy manuals from across the United States. These are the rules DHR and CPS are supposed to follow. Bookmark this page, check your state’s policies, and use this information to protect your rights.
Alabama Child Protective Services Policy
| DHR Due Process Policy (PDF) | Shows the rights parents are supposed to have. If these were skipped, it’s a violation. |
| TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS | How the state moves to permanently sever families. |
| APPLICATION AND HOME STUDIES | Explains how DHR evaluates families for placement or adoption. Important if they misrepresented you during a study |
| DHR PLACEMENTS | Rules for placing children in foster care or with relatives. Shows if they ignored kinship options. |
| ADOPTION SUBSIDY | Details financial incentives paid when children are adopted. Helps explain why adoption is often pushed. |
| NON-DHR ADOPTION | Covers adoptions handled outside DHR. Useful if your case involved private or agency adoption. |
| CA/N Introduction | Overview of how child abuse/neglect cases (CA/N) are handled in Alabama. |
| CA/N Allegations and Definitions | Defines what counts as abuse or neglect. Families can check if accusations match these definitions. |
| CA/N INTAKE | How abuse/neglect reports are taken in and classified. |
| After Hours On Call Procedure | Rules for how workers must respond to reports after business hours. Key if late-night removals broke policy. |
| CA/N ASSESSMENT | Explains how DHR investigates allegations once a report is made. |
| SAFETY ASSESSMENT | Explains how DHR decides if a child is “safe” or “unsafe.” |
| DHR Protocol to Allegations Involving Substance Affected – Exposed Children | |
| OUT-OF-HOME PROTOCOL | Rules they must follow before removing a child. |
| SPECIAL CA/N PROCEDURES | Outlines extra steps for serious cases like medical neglect, child death, or sexual abuse. Helps families check if DHR skipped required procedures. |
| GENERAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES | |
| CENTRAL REGISTRY | How names are added to the abuse/neglect list, often without due process. |
| CPS PREVENTION POLICY & PROCEDURES | |
| LEGAL PROCEEDINGS | |
| Multi-Disciplinary Child Protection Teams | |
| Juvenile Procedures | |
| Alabama Code § 12-15-102 – Definitions |
State-by-State CPS Policy Manuals
| State | Policy Manual Link |
|---|---|
| Alaska | CPS Policy Manual (PDF) |
| Arizona | Arizona DCS Policy Site |
| Arkansas | DCFS Policy Manual (PDF) |
| California | Division 31 Regulations (PDF) |
| Colorado | CPS Rules PDF |
| Connecticut | Parents’ Right to Know |
| Delaware | DFS Policies |
| Florida | Florida Child Welfare Policies |
| Georgia | Policy Link 1 | Policy Link 2 |
| Hawaii | Greenbook Policy Site |
| Idaho | CFS Services Overview |
| Illinois | Policy & Procedure | Policy Rules |
| Indiana | Child Welfare Policies |
| Iowa | DHS Policy Manuals |
| Kansas | Policy Manual PDF | PPS Policy Site |
| Louisiana | LADCFS Policy Tree | Policy Overview |
| Maine | OCFS Policy Rules |
| Maryland | Child Policy Directives |
| Massachusetts | DCF Policies |
| Michigan | DHHS Policy Site |
| Minnesota | Child Safety Manual (PDF) |
| Mississippi | CPS Policy Manual |
| Missouri | Child Welfare Manual |
| Montana | CFS Policy Manual |
| Nebraska | CFS Policy Memos |
| Nevada | DCFS Policy Site |
| New Hampshire | DCYF Policy Page |
| New Jersey | Child Protection & Permanency |
| New Mexico | CYFD Policies |
| New York | CPS Manual |
| North Carolina | Assessments (PDF) | CWS Policy PDF |
| North Dakota | CFS Policy Site |
| Ohio | CPS Policy Manual |
| Oklahoma | CPS Investigative Protocols |
| Oregon | Child Welfare Manual (PDF) |
| Pennsylvania | Title 23 CPSL |
| Rhode Island | DCYF Policies |
| South Carolina | CPS and DSS Manuals |
| South Dakota | Child Protection Services Site |
| Tennessee | DCS Policy Manual |
| Texas | CPS Policy Handbook |
| Utah | Utah DHS Policies |
| Vermont | FSD Policy Portal |
| Virginia | CPS Manual |
| Washington | DCYF Policies and Procedures |
| West Virginia | DHHR Policy Manual |
| Wisconsin | CW Policy Portal |
| Wyoming | Protective Services Manual |
Why This Page Matters
Every link on this page leads to the rules they are supposed to follow. These are not rumors. These are not guesses. These are their own words, written into policy and law.
If you are a parent, relative, advocate, or community member trying to understand how DHR or CPS operates, this page is for you. Use it to learn. Use it to push back. Use it to hold them accountable.
And if they ever tell you “That’s not how it works,” come back here. Find the policy. Show them the truth.
This page will continue to grow. If you know of a new or updated policy link, contact us at contact@familiesvsdhr.org.
Knowledge is not just power. It’s protection.