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San Antonio CPS Defense Attorney

When Child Protective Services (CPS) becomes involved in your life, it’s important to find a San Antonio CPS defense attorney to help. CPS lawyers can help guide you through the difficult and stressful process of dealing with CPS investigations and agents. If you need lawyers against CPS in San Antonio, TX, contact Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda, PLLC. Our San Antonio CPS defense lawyers provide aggressive, effective representation. We want to make sure that both you and your child are protected. Work with us today if you need help dealing with CPS.

The Department of Family and Protective Services, has the difficult mission of trying to rehabilitate and reunite families where abuse and neglect of children have been an issue. Unfortunately, they are no longer effective at achieving that mission. Instead, they have become a largely unaccountable government agency interfering in the rights of parents and Texas families based on their own bureaucratic interests. CPS may not be helpful in healing your family during a crisis or may not be needed in your lives at all, but HGC Law can help either way.

How a San Antonio CPS Defense Attorney Can Help Your Case

CPS is a part of an organization known as the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). They are required to investigate any claims of child abuse within a home. While some reports may come from neighbors or other family members, the ones CPS takes the most seriously are those from “mandatory reporters.” Mandatory reporters are individuals who are required by law to report abuse, even if that suspicion is small. These individuals include doctors and teachers. Since mandatory reporters tend to err on the side of caution, this means that they may report issues that are actually relatively inconsequential—but which CPS will nonetheless take incredibly seriously.

If you find yourself the subject of a CPS investigation, it’s important to find CPS defense lawyers in San Antonio to help. CPS lawyers can advise you on what to say, what not to say, and when to not say anything at all. In addition, they know how to navigate the court system, and can be an invaluable ally to have by your side.

Call the San Antonio CPS attorneys at Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda, PLLC if you need help. Our experts are available to help San Antonio, TX residents avoid some of the consequences of a CPS investigation. Additionally, we can help you receive resources to help support your child and your family. Call our CPS defense lawyers today and learn more about the services we offer.

Healing Your Family

CPS has tremendous resources at its disposal but often fails to use those resources productively. If your family needs the support that comes from Family Based Social Services or the Children’s Court process, you need a lawyer who can get you those resources without CPS calling all the shots. Texas CPS and Children’s’ Courts can provide counseling, financial support, help finding housing or temporary shelter, expert medical and emotional care, among other benefits. By following the advice of reliable, independent experts, we can help direct the services that make sense for your family. For many Texas families, CPS intervention has a silver lining, if their lawyers know how to work the DFPS system.

At HGC Law, we know the caseworkers, DFPS contractors, Children’s Court Judges, psychologists, counselors, investigators, and others often involved. We have our own pool of experts who can be trusted. And we know from personal experience how tough CPS investigations or court can be for your family. We support our clients in overcoming challenges within their families and challenges created by CPS.

Protecting Your Rights

CPS will throw out the words “best interest of the child” constantly, but they forget that parents have Constitutional rights which must be respected. Unfortunately, the CPS court system encourages this at times by underpaying court appointed lawyers and letting CPS get away with violations of the law and their own procedures. Because lawyers who fight CPS effectively are rare due to structural issues with Texas Children’s Courts, CPS tends to take offence when met with a serious defense. Fortunately, experienced CPS lawyers know how to keep the Department in line while protecting your rights as parents.

Joe Hoelscher is known for fighting CPS cases to jury verdict in high profile, complex cases. HGC Law Firm, though based in San Antonio, is active in cases throughout Central and South Texas and has a reputation for fighting aggressively, knowledgeably, and effectively. Whether you are only fighting CPS or multiple intervening parties, such as foster parents, we have the experience and resources to help you stand up for your family.

Hire a CPS Defense Attorney Local to You

When CPS begins an investigation into your family, you should start looking for a CPS defense attorney. Qualified San Antonio CPS defense lawyers can help support you through what would otherwise be a stressful process. If you’re looking for lawyers against CPS in any of the following areas, please consider giving Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda, PLLC a call:

Examples of HGC Law CPS Cases

CPS investigations involving accusations ranging from emotional abuse through neglectful supervision to physical or sexual abuse. Often, our San Antonio CPS lawyers have prevented legal cases from being filed, prevented negative “Reason to Believe” findings, or even utilized CPS investigators to help our clients in divorces and child custody battles where false allegations were made to CPS.

Successful appeals of negative CPS investigation findings, using the Administrative Review of Investigative Findings (“ARIF”) process to change “Reason to Believe” findings that abuse or neglect was committed to “Unable to Determine” or “Ruled Out” findings.

Successfully defeating CPS attempts to terminate parental rights and beating felony child abuse charges in cases where children were injured, or our clients had significant mental health or substance abuse problems. HGC Law is committed to helping our clients become better parents and to giving their families a second chance, legally and personally.

Regaining custody for parents who have been accused of sexual or other abuse while fighting divorces, criminal charges, and CPS legal cases.

Successfully challenging CPS’ right to remove children in Chapter 262, Texas Family Code, adversarial hearings.

Obtaining daily visitation after CPS removal of children for parents of infants and young children, even prior to the initial Chapter 262 adversarial hearing.

Successfully imposing monetary sanctions on CPS for refusing to turn over evidence.

Successfully forcing CPS to agree to restore parental rights or forcing dismissal of CPS cases.

Repeatedly winning jury verdicts in favor of parents accused by CPS of child abuse or neglect, even in cases where CPS was supported by intervening foster parents and/or other relatives.

Forcing dismissal of a CPS case and full restoration of parental rights for a parent accused of murdering their spouse, despite negative national media coverage and hostile family members.

Speak to San Antonio Lawyers Against CPS Today

Generally speaking, a CPS investigation follows several standard steps. After a report is made, CPS will open an investigation. They will often speak to the child beforehand—without the parents’ knowledge—and stop by your home unannounced. They will go over the report and conduct an interview, as well as to conduct any other necessary components of their investigation. After the investigation is over, they’ll determine how to findings should be classified. Sometimes, if there is little concern for the child, CPS will attempt to work with the family to resolve the issue. Other times, however, the court may become involved, which can lead to the child being put into a shelter or foster care.

Naturally, no parent wants this outcome. That’s why it’s important to find lawyers against CPS. San Antonio CPS defense attorneys know how best to deal with these investigations. Additionally, if the case does end up going to court, they can help protect your child and achieve a positive outcome. Speak to the lawyers at Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda, PLLC today to protect your rights and your child. Call us and learn more about how we can help.