Supported 51B decisions

Enter the word(s) you are searching for; use quotes for exact phrase

This sub-category contains DCF fair hearing decisions in which an individual sought to dispute a DCF "support" determination after DCF investigated a report alleging child abuse or neglect (often called a 51A report or 51A).

Displaying 101 - 150 of 324
View by Library Type
Sort by

In the Matter of E.S., FH# 2018-0237

Frances I. Wheat
Reversed - The Hearing Officer found that there was insufficient evidence to affirm the supported 51B decision for physical abuse; the decision was reversed. The alleged physical abuse was the result of physical discipline in which the appellant hit his son on his buttocks with a belt, over his…

In the Matter of EC, FH# 2017-0120

Jorge F. Ferreira
Reversed - DCF did not have sufficient evidence to support allegations of sexual abuse by Appellant where testimony from the child/alleged victim was determined to be unreliable. The child only disclosed sexual abuse in an argument with her mother regarding sexual activity, and later struggled with…

In the Matter of AOG, FH# 2017-1347

Anne L. Dale Nialetz
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect. DCF originally determined that the Appellant mother was suffering from post-partum depression in 2006 and had expressed a potential urge to harm her child. However, at the time of the hearing there was no evidence that the…

In the Matter of CD, FH# 2018-0110

Anne L. Dale Nialetz
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to believe the child was neglected where (1) Appellant was not involved in the child being left home alone, (2) the child’s daycare had no protective concerns outside of isolated incidents where the parents were late to picking up the child, and (3) the…

In the Matter of CD, FH# 2018-0110

Anne L. Dale Nialetz
DCF did not have reasonable cause to believe the child was neglected where the appellant was not involved in the child being left home alone, the child’s daycare had no protective concerns outside of isolated incidents where the parents were late to picking up the child, and the four police…

In the Matter of NB, FH# 2017-0960

Linda A. Horvath
Affirmed - DCF had a reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because the children (aged 8 and 11) reported witnessing physical confrontations between Appellant father and their mother. Appellant had stopped taking psychiatric medications and was criminally charged for assault of the…

In the Matter of HA, FH# 2017-1210

Linda A. Horvath
Affirmed - DCF did have reasonable reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect. The Department provided sufficient evidence that the appellant mother was misusing her child's Adderall prescription and had a history of alcohol abuse in the presence of the children. Moreover, DCF showed that the…

In the Matter of EW, FH# 2017-0235

Nicholas Holahan
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of abuse. There were no bruises or other signs of abuse observed on the child, and there was not enough evidence regarding the extent of the discipline. Although it is undisputed that the Appellant spanked her child, “mere physical…

In the Matter of LF, FH# 2017-0314

Laureen Decas
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support allegations of neglect where: (1) children had been exposed to Appellant’s arguments with the father but there was no evidence of emotional impact on them; and (2) Appellant panicked and called police over a verbal argument due to past…

In the Matter of SG, FH# 2017-0289

Lisa Anne Henshall
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect. The Appellant was a staff member in a special needs classroom with four students. On the day in question, the classroom was short staffed, so procedures were altered to ensure safety. All allegations of neglect were the…

In the Matter of WL & CL, FH# 2017-0245

Maura E. Bradford
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a 51A report of neglect and physical abuse when the child disclosed physical abuse arising from play-fighting, her Appellant Father’s alcohol use, and the question of her Appellant Mother’s mental health; the disclosures lacked corroboration…

In the Matter of CP, FH# 2017-0701

Lisa Anne Henshall
Reversed - DCF did not have a reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because there was no evidence to indicate that Appellant mother did not provide her newborn child with minimally adequate care, or that her marijuana use during pregnancy placed her child in danger or posed a substantial…

In the Matter of HR, FH# 2017-0283

Lisa Anne Henshall
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because 1) the classroom was special needs and had 4 students, each with significant needs 2) on the day in question the classroom was short staffed 3) the allegations resulted from listening to a digital recording device…

In the Matter of FG, FH# 2017-1344

Maura E. Bradford
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because 1) the child in this case was traumatized, exhibited at risk and oppositional behavior so concerning that their therapist considered recommending out of home placement, and had a history of sexual abuse and was vulnerable to…

In the Matter of RE and JE, FH# 2018-0278

Anne L. Dale Nialetz
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to support allegations of neglect due to Appellant’s mood swings, yelling at children and spouse, and other verbal abuse. The children responded to Appellant’s actions with school tardiness, psychological disorder, behavioral issues, eating disorder, and poor…

In the Matter of SL, FH# 2017-0373

Maura E. Bradford
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support allegations of neglect where the Appellant Mother held the infant child during a brief verbal and physical altercation with the child’s Legal Guardian Paternal Grandfather. The child appeared unharmed by the incident, and the Hearing Officer…

In the Matter of TW, FH# 2017-0200

Antonia Chronis, Esq.
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to find neglect or abuse where Appellant Professional (1) appeared calm, (2) did not use excessive force, and (3) followed procedure while interacting with the child.

In the Matter of JS and TW, FH# 2018-0160

Anne L. Dale Nialetz
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to support allegations of physical abuse where the child’s siblings confirmed the abuse, even though they later retracted it due to coaching from parents. Although DCF regulations do not offer guidance on what to do when parents coach their children to deny…

In the Matter of ST & RJ, FH# 2017-0029

Frances I. Wheat, MPA
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support allegations of neglect against Appellant Parents where the decision was based on Appellant Mother’s history of mental health diagnoses and Appellant Father and wife’s previous out of state child services case histories. It was determined that…

In the Matter of SL, FH# 2017-0373

Maura E. Bradford
Reversed - Hearing Officer reversed the Department’s finding of neglect where the appellant-mother held the infant child during a brief verbal and physical altercation with the child’s paternal grandfather-legal guardian. The child appeared unharmed by the incident, and the Hearing Officer…

In the Matter of CV, FH# 2017-0579

Maura E. Bradford
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of abuse or neglect because 1) the evidence showed that the child closed his sister's fingers in a doorjamb accidentally and Appellant father forcefully albeit reactively and unintentionally pushed the child out of the way leading to…

In the Matter of CT, FH# 2018-0346

Frances I. Wheat, MPA
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to support an allegation of neglect where: (1) the child ran away from the home and the Appellant Grandmother did not make substantial attempts to locate the child; (2) the child was off her medication due to the neglect of the Appellant Grandmother; and (3) the…

In the Matter of FH, FH# 2017-0191

Anna L. Joseph
Affirmed in part and reversed in part - DCF had reasonable cause to believe that abuse had occurred when Appellant Father’s actions were found to be non-accidental and placed the child at substantive risk of injury, including a one-time hitting of a child with the Appellant Father’s belt.

In the Matter of KZ, FH# 2017-1212

Laureen Decas
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to make a finding of neglect and abuse where the Appellant mother (1) had a history of alleged abuse and escalating violent situations which routinely occurred in the home (2) police were called and the Appellant was determined to be the aggressor of an assault &…

In the Matter of WW, FH# 2017-0608

Laureen Decas
Affirmed - DCF had a reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because evidence supported that verbal and physical fighting was ongoing between the Appellant father and his wife while their ten-month old child was present. Appellant and his wife had a history of domestic violence. By exposing…

In the Matter of DP & JM, FH# 2017-0595

Laureen Decas
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to support a finding of educational neglect because 1) Appellant parents insisted that their child could only go to one specific school which led to the child being severely behind academically, failing the first grade 2) child was diagnosed with dyslexia, a…

In the Matter of LH, FH# 2017-1386

Carmen Temme
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to find neglect because 1) the Appellant failed to secure/dispense the child's prescribed medication 2) the Appellant failed to fill the child's medication for six months 3) the Appellant was aware of their child's mental health concerns including a previous…

In the Matter of CB & IB, FH# 2017-0337

Maura E. Bradford
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause in order to support a finding of neglect because 1) there is little evidence that the appellants knowingly allowed their child to skip school and 2) the school waited until the child's absences reached a critical number before they notified the appellants…

In the Matter of JR & KR, FH# 2017-1134

Jorge F. Ferreira
Reversed - DCF did not have a reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because neither Appellant mother nor the subject child tested positive for illicit substances at the time of delivery, and there was no evidence that Appellant mother's illicit methadone use during early pregnancy placed…

In the Matter of LM, FH# 2017-0501

Nicholas Holahan
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because 1) Appellant mother, although she had a history of drug abuse and prior finding of neglect during that time, took a drug test which only came back positive for marijuana which she has a medical card for 2) the…

In the Matter of LO, FH# 2017-0055

Carmen Colon
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to support allegations of neglect against Appellant Mother where a child (1) was exposed to domestic violence and substance use; (2) needed to be kept away from Appellant, who experienced aggressive mental breakdowns resulting from arguments with the father; and…

In the Matter of AR, FH# 2017-0043

Carmen Temme
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a neglect finding where Appellant: (1) made several attempts to contact the child’s parent; (2) told other adults that she was leaving; and (3) left the child with another adult before leaving the house.

In the Matter of MS, FH# 2017-0127

Anne L. Dale Nialetz
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support the 51A decision for physical abuse against the Appellant (biological mother). Though the older child, D, told her school counselor that the Appellant had punched her in the head and hit her in the knee, these injuries were found to have been…

In the Matter of EL, FH# 2017-0271

Carmen Temme
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support the 51A reports of neglect by the Appellant where there was no reasonable evidence that the Appellant failed to provide essential care for her son or that the Appellant's actions or inactions placed the child in any danger. The child had a…

In the Matter of FH, FH# 2017-0190

Lisa Anne Henshall
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support the allegations of neglect and physical abuse against both Appellants where: (1) the child was lacking details or explanations in numerous statements regarding abuse and neglect; (2) the level of discipline via spanking with a belt was found to…

In the Matter of JW, FH# 2017-0108

Antonia Chronis, Esq.
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support findings of neglect where Appellant Father had a domestic dispute with the children’s mother that involved yelling, swearing, and threatening gestures. The incident did not place the children in immediate danger or pose a substantial risk to…

In the Matter of MK, FH# 2017-0034

Antonia Chronis, Esq.
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a neglect finding after Appellant got into an argument with her 14-year-old daughter and hospitalized her following suicidal suggestions. The Hearing Officer found that while her actions may have been rash, Appellant was acting out of concern…

In the Matter of DZ & SCZ, FH# 2017-1224

Lisa Anne Henshall
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect and physical abuse. The Appellants, the guardians of the reported children, disputed the allegation of physical abuse. However, a police report and corroborating eyewitness statement provided sufficient evidence that the Appellants…

In the Matter of LW, FH# 2017-0148

Lisa Henshall
Reversed - The Hearing Officer reversed a supported 51B decision of abuse where there were two conflicting reports about the altercation, one from the appellant mother and one from the 16-year-old child. The mother’s statements were deemed more credible because they were supported by facts while the…

In the Matter of LW, FH# 2017-0148

Lisa Anne Henshall
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a 51B decision of abuse where there were two conflicting reports about the altercation, one from the Appellant Mother and one from the 16-year-old child. The Appellant’s statements were deemed more credible because they were supported by facts…

In the Matter of NN & DN, FH# 2017-0179

Lisa Anne Henshall
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding for neglect because 1) although Appellants had failed to officially enroll the child for home schooling they did not provide evidence that the child's educational needs were not being met 2) when Appellants were informed of the steps…

In the Matter of ND, FH# 2017-0276

Antonia Chronis, Esq.
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect where, though the Appellant and her ex-wife fought, yelled, and used inappropriate words in front of the subject child, there was no reasonable cause to indicate that the Appellant's actions placed the child in danger or…

In the Matter of NC, FH# 2017-0336

Anna L. Joseph
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support the allegation of neglect against the Appellant where there was reason to doubt the credibility of the Appellant's ex-partner (the mother of the subject child) in her claim that she had been assaulted by the Appellant. The Appellant's…

In the Matter of CR, FH# 2017-0248

Maura E. Bradford
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a 51A report of neglect where Appellant used physical discipline on her teenage daughter on one occasion by reactively slapping her across the face for sneaking out of the house to be with an older boy.

In the Matter of DS, FH# 2017-0071

David Halloran
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to make a finding of neglect where the Appellant was driving under the influence of alcohol with a child present and not wearing a seatbelt. Testimony or evidence is not persuasive when it does not address the accusations.

In the Matter of SA & LG, FH# 2017-1222

Anna L. Joseph
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect. There was insufficient evidence to show that either of the Appellants, the child's biological mother and her partner, ever sexually abused or neglected the child. There were two episodes where the child had blood spots in…

In the Matter of RW, FH# 2017-0218

Linda A. Horvath
Affirmed - DCF had reasonable cause to find neglect when an Appellant Father (1) engaged in domestic violence toward the mother with the child in the home; (2) had an alleged history of domestic violence; (3) maliciously injured a family pet; (4) caused fatal injury to said pet; (5) lacked…

In the Matter of JS, FH# 2017-1247

Laureen Decas
Reversed - DCF did not have reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because 1) the department had no evidence to confirm that the mother was actively abusing substances at the time 2) the department did not consider statements obtained from the child regarding her parents and their drug use…

In the Matter of JR, FH# 2017-1194

Anna L. Joseph
Reversed - DCF did not have a reasonable cause to support a finding of neglect because accusations against Appellant father were not credible or supported by any evidence. Appellant's estranged spouse, who had a history of substance abuse and mental health issues, called the police and claimed that…

In the Matter of JN, FH# 2017-0126

Carmen Colon
Affirmed - DFC had reasonable cause to support the 51A decision for physical abuse against the Appellant (biological father). The Appellant had an extensive history of violence in the home which led to his eventual removal and incarceration. The disclosure of the abuse and filing of the 51A reports…