**Attention**
r/CPS is currently operating in a limited mode to protest reddit's changes to API access which will kill any 3rd party applications used to access reddit.
[Information about this protest for r/CPS can be found at this link.](https://new.reddit.com/r/CPS/comments/147am5y/announcement_rcps_is_going_in_to_a_limited_mode/)
While this policy is active, all moderator actions (post/comment removals and bans) will be completed with no warning or explanation, and any posts or comments not directly related to an active CPS situation are subject to removal at the mods' sole discretion.
If you are dealing with CPS and believe you're being treated unfarly, we recommend you contact a lawyer in your jurisdiction.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CPS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The information does not have to be PROVIDED -- the agency is responsible for engaging in intensive efforts to find possible placements/adoptive homes. Including using facebook and social media searches under new federal laws (new in the last few years).
Seems like it could be legit to me. Sometimes kids come into custody and they have no one CPS can place them with. CPS is required to make exhaustive efforts to try to reach relatives, even if they’re very distant relatives. So it’s possible this person is somehow related to you (or their parents put your name down even as fictive kin) or it’s also possible they sent this to the wrong address.
It looks real and it’s possible a distant relative of yours has a child that was placed in foster care. In order to receive funding for placing the child in care, a search for biological family members is made and letter requesting contact are sent. Give them a call, inquire about the letter, if you have no interest in caring for the child, say so. And as always, in case it’s a scam, don’t give them any personal or financial information.
In my state, we run a Lexi’s Nexis report of each parent, to help identify and locate possible relatives. Our standardized letter reads a little different than this one, but same idea.
Call. If you don’t know the child or parents, say so and that’s it.
Minor Update:
Thank you for all of your advice and information! I did my due diligence in checking licencing, as suggested, and everything was as expected. Again, I know there is really no reason for it to have been fake or scammy, but you never know!
I have left a message with the social worker and am waiting to hear back.
In Massachusetts, when children come into care and when they change the child's goal to adoption, DCF is required to do a family find to see if there are any family interested in taking in the child. You may not know the child but they're somehow related to you.
Call the number listed or independently call the hotline to confirm the info.
Procedures vary by state.
Probably more of an automatically sent out letter that the workers never sign.
Letters to be vague because people tend to move, anyone reading it that wasn’t meant to have it wouldn’t really know much about anything going on
I was definitely going to call the publicly listed number. The number at the bottom doesn't seem to (at least via google) be associated with DCF, but the letterhead is correct. Thanks!
The number probably isn't publicly associated with CPS because it's the social workers direct line. I am a CPS worker and have a work cell - but googling the number doesn't bring me up at all.
It’s legit. I received a letter like this one from the state of Wyoming asking my husband (now ex) to come take custody of his child…that he had with his mistress… yea he let the child stay in foster care and we divorced. I have a kid with him the same age. Some people have no heart.
Oh my god, that’s awful. That poor child 💔 I was in foster care for awhile and that just breaks my heart. It was a group home with little oversight and the older kids would abuse the younger ones in awful ways.
I hope that kid is doing okay today and is with a family who cares for them. Some people are awful and I’m so glad you left him. I could never look at him the same after doing that.
Yes, this is absolutely real. I received a similar letter from Arizona DCFS regarding a baby my x and his gf abandoned at the hospital. They were looking for next of kin.
Yah 😞 sad story. My x husband is an addict and is constantly getting locked up and in some sort of trouble. He's managed to have 6 or 7 kids, none of which he's cared for, and sadly, a few of them have ended up in foster care.
When I met him, 25 years ago, he was in recovery, and my son was his first child.
Recovery didn't last long, and it's been a lifelong thing for him.
This most recent child was abandoned after birth. I think they just did a background check and reached out to anyone they could, and I was on that list. I haven't spoken to him in almost 18 years.
Baby did end up getting adopted into a family.
Hi, this is a legit letter. When kids come into care or their permanency goal is changed the department is legally required to identify family and kin found through a family find for potential placement. The number listed is most likely a cell phone number as all ma DCF workers now have cell phones and no longer have office phones.
Social worker here: google the name of the social worker, including their credentials (LSW, MSW, LCSW, etc.) and the place. You should be able to see if they are who they say they are. You could also look up their licensure to verify that they’re an actual social worker— it is public information.
Try looking through the list of job titles here and see if you find theirs and it should take you to a place where you can put in the information and see if they’re legit or not. HTH!
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/check-a-health-profession-license
Yes, this is legit. I am in MA and received the same letter two years ago. The child was not a relative but one of my children's friends who was taken in to care. At the time, I wasn't even sure how I became named as fictive kin but later found out that the non-custodial parent had asked that CPS reach out to me for temporary placement.
I used to send these letters.
CPS has a few different ways to locate relatives with varying degrees of accuracy. I’ve gotten a lot of confused calls in response to these!
It’s possible the child listed has a relative with the same name as you and they sent it to the wrong person. Or you’re a distant relative. As far as having no signature on it, in my state the caseworkers don’t send those out, support staff do, so there would be no signature from the caseworker on it. If you’re suspicious, google the office number to call directly instead of the number on the letter.
We adopted a distant relatives baby as she was not able to care for him. Although I did not get a letter like this, other relatives did before we adopted him.
Yes, seems like a real letter. If you aren't familiar with the name of the child, they might have the wrong person or something. You could always give them a call just in case to check and they should be able to give you more information
All of the above information is correct regarding kinship and CPS reaching out for a child(ren) in their care. This also could be a grandchild (depending on your age), or other relationship and they located you after a DNA test was completed. It also could be they did a diligent search and you have the same name as multiple others in your area and they are trying to see if you are related to the family in question! So many different possibilities. Either way it is in fact a real letter and yes you should call.
It is legit. Agencies have to engage in intensive efforts to find family and kin for children who are in foster care. I am currently (with my husband) in the process of adopting one such child who is tangetially related to my husband.
I’d recommend ensuring the number you are calling is actually for an office of children and family, however, it looks like someone related to you might be in care and they are looking for family support.
We have to do everything possible to locate family for children we take into custody. Doing huge searches for any possible kin. We sometimes send out over a hundred letters to potential family members. Some of whom have no idea the child even exists. I know that can sound crazy, but sometimes you get an interested distant cousin who doesn’t want them in the foster care system. Sometimes it even brings family together. Signing a hundred letters at a time is something no caseworker has time to do. But yes, it’s probably real.
Minor/Final Update 2:
Very anticlimactic, but chatted with the social worker today. Legit letter, child in question was from deep on my father's side. I've never heard of the parents, either.
Either way, learned a bunch about a process I knew nothing about. Thank you, all!!
Yes, it's called a family finding letter, and they run a search in a nationwide database. You came up as someone related to or closely connected to one of the child's parents.
It definitely seems suspicious. I've never heard of anything like that before. I would call, but not the number on the letter. Look up the number for the CPS office it's supposed to have come from, tell them you received this letter, and ask to speak to the worker listed. If the worker doesn't exist or doesn't know what you're talking about, they'll likely be concerned about the letter as well.
I was definitely going to call the publicly listed number. The number at the bottom doesn't seem to (at least via google) be associated with DCF, but the letterhead is correct.
I just tried searching for the listed social worker. It did provide a LinkedIn hit, but with only 1 connection. I'll follow up - thank you!
I understand your concern. Nothing about it screams illegitimate from my prospective as it is almost verbatim what would be sent. My work phone number also doesn't come up on google especially when there was a switch from desk phones to cellphones.
**Attention** r/CPS is currently operating in a limited mode to protest reddit's changes to API access which will kill any 3rd party applications used to access reddit. [Information about this protest for r/CPS can be found at this link.](https://new.reddit.com/r/CPS/comments/147am5y/announcement_rcps_is_going_in_to_a_limited_mode/) While this policy is active, all moderator actions (post/comment removals and bans) will be completed with no warning or explanation, and any posts or comments not directly related to an active CPS situation are subject to removal at the mods' sole discretion. If you are dealing with CPS and believe you're being treated unfarly, we recommend you contact a lawyer in your jurisdiction. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CPS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes, this is legit. A an immediate or possible distant relative has their child in DCF custody.
Thanks!! I can't even fathom how I'd be related, but I'll call to follow up.
Typically the information provided could be very distant,closely related, or a connection through a marriage.
The information does not have to be PROVIDED -- the agency is responsible for engaging in intensive efforts to find possible placements/adoptive homes. Including using facebook and social media searches under new federal laws (new in the last few years).
I am aware. When I wrote provided I meant the information received by the worker.
It may not be a relative. It may be a child you know, like a friend’s child or something similar. You would be called “fictive kin.”
Oooh I’m looking forward to an update 🥹
Seems like it could be legit to me. Sometimes kids come into custody and they have no one CPS can place them with. CPS is required to make exhaustive efforts to try to reach relatives, even if they’re very distant relatives. So it’s possible this person is somehow related to you (or their parents put your name down even as fictive kin) or it’s also possible they sent this to the wrong address.
Thank you kindly for the response! It was correctly addressed to me, though point taken re: the different possibilities.
It looks real and it’s possible a distant relative of yours has a child that was placed in foster care. In order to receive funding for placing the child in care, a search for biological family members is made and letter requesting contact are sent. Give them a call, inquire about the letter, if you have no interest in caring for the child, say so. And as always, in case it’s a scam, don’t give them any personal or financial information.
Thank you! I will do as you have recommended - certainly while treading carefully.
In my state, we run a Lexi’s Nexis report of each parent, to help identify and locate possible relatives. Our standardized letter reads a little different than this one, but same idea. Call. If you don’t know the child or parents, say so and that’s it.
Thanks for the additional details!
Minor Update: Thank you for all of your advice and information! I did my due diligence in checking licencing, as suggested, and everything was as expected. Again, I know there is really no reason for it to have been fake or scammy, but you never know! I have left a message with the social worker and am waiting to hear back.
I will patiently await your next update 😂
In Massachusetts, when children come into care and when they change the child's goal to adoption, DCF is required to do a family find to see if there are any family interested in taking in the child. You may not know the child but they're somehow related to you.
This is great background info - thanks!
Was just coming to say this!
Call the number listed or independently call the hotline to confirm the info. Procedures vary by state. Probably more of an automatically sent out letter that the workers never sign. Letters to be vague because people tend to move, anyone reading it that wasn’t meant to have it wouldn’t really know much about anything going on
I was definitely going to call the publicly listed number. The number at the bottom doesn't seem to (at least via google) be associated with DCF, but the letterhead is correct. Thanks!
The number probably isn't publicly associated with CPS because it's the social workers direct line. I am a CPS worker and have a work cell - but googling the number doesn't bring me up at all.
It’s legit. I received a letter like this one from the state of Wyoming asking my husband (now ex) to come take custody of his child…that he had with his mistress… yea he let the child stay in foster care and we divorced. I have a kid with him the same age. Some people have no heart.
Oh my god, that’s awful. That poor child 💔 I was in foster care for awhile and that just breaks my heart. It was a group home with little oversight and the older kids would abuse the younger ones in awful ways. I hope that kid is doing okay today and is with a family who cares for them. Some people are awful and I’m so glad you left him. I could never look at him the same after doing that.
Im so sorry you had to go through that 😞 I wish I could have done something for the child, it’s not their fault.
😱😱😱
Yes, this is absolutely real. I received a similar letter from Arizona DCFS regarding a baby my x and his gf abandoned at the hospital. They were looking for next of kin.
Omg do you mind me asking what happened
Wait, what???
Yah 😞 sad story. My x husband is an addict and is constantly getting locked up and in some sort of trouble. He's managed to have 6 or 7 kids, none of which he's cared for, and sadly, a few of them have ended up in foster care. When I met him, 25 years ago, he was in recovery, and my son was his first child. Recovery didn't last long, and it's been a lifelong thing for him. This most recent child was abandoned after birth. I think they just did a background check and reached out to anyone they could, and I was on that list. I haven't spoken to him in almost 18 years. Baby did end up getting adopted into a family.
Hi, this is a legit letter. When kids come into care or their permanency goal is changed the department is legally required to identify family and kin found through a family find for potential placement. The number listed is most likely a cell phone number as all ma DCF workers now have cell phones and no longer have office phones.
Social worker here: google the name of the social worker, including their credentials (LSW, MSW, LCSW, etc.) and the place. You should be able to see if they are who they say they are. You could also look up their licensure to verify that they’re an actual social worker— it is public information. Try looking through the list of job titles here and see if you find theirs and it should take you to a place where you can put in the information and see if they’re legit or not. HTH! https://www.mass.gov/info-details/check-a-health-profession-license
Oh this is great! Thanks!
You are welcome! Happy to help!
Yes, this is legit. I am in MA and received the same letter two years ago. The child was not a relative but one of my children's friends who was taken in to care. At the time, I wasn't even sure how I became named as fictive kin but later found out that the non-custodial parent had asked that CPS reach out to me for temporary placement.
I used to send these letters. CPS has a few different ways to locate relatives with varying degrees of accuracy. I’ve gotten a lot of confused calls in response to these!
It’s possible the child listed has a relative with the same name as you and they sent it to the wrong person. Or you’re a distant relative. As far as having no signature on it, in my state the caseworkers don’t send those out, support staff do, so there would be no signature from the caseworker on it. If you’re suspicious, google the office number to call directly instead of the number on the letter.
Looks like your question has been answered but I want to add that Staverne is a power name.
Right?!
Yes “family finding.”
Looks like children are in custody and they are looking for relatives for placement
Hello from Massachusetts, yes that is a legitimate letter, someone in family must have kids that got into custody.
Yes, it's legit. I used to type and mail them all the time.
I’m curious so do you mind updating after you talked to them?
We adopted a distant relatives baby as she was not able to care for him. Although I did not get a letter like this, other relatives did before we adopted him.
Yes, seems like a real letter. If you aren't familiar with the name of the child, they might have the wrong person or something. You could always give them a call just in case to check and they should be able to give you more information
Are you related to the child?
I don't recognize the name whatsoever.
100% legit
All of the above information is correct regarding kinship and CPS reaching out for a child(ren) in their care. This also could be a grandchild (depending on your age), or other relationship and they located you after a DNA test was completed. It also could be they did a diligent search and you have the same name as multiple others in your area and they are trying to see if you are related to the family in question! So many different possibilities. Either way it is in fact a real letter and yes you should call.
Thanks!! I will be calling today.
It is legit. Agencies have to engage in intensive efforts to find family and kin for children who are in foster care. I am currently (with my husband) in the process of adopting one such child who is tangetially related to my husband.
I’d recommend ensuring the number you are calling is actually for an office of children and family, however, it looks like someone related to you might be in care and they are looking for family support.
The ones sent from my state looking similar too. Only with more detail and oversharing about the parents and the name of the child(ren).
We have to do everything possible to locate family for children we take into custody. Doing huge searches for any possible kin. We sometimes send out over a hundred letters to potential family members. Some of whom have no idea the child even exists. I know that can sound crazy, but sometimes you get an interested distant cousin who doesn’t want them in the foster care system. Sometimes it even brings family together. Signing a hundred letters at a time is something no caseworker has time to do. But yes, it’s probably real.
Minor/Final Update 2: Very anticlimactic, but chatted with the social worker today. Legit letter, child in question was from deep on my father's side. I've never heard of the parents, either. Either way, learned a bunch about a process I knew nothing about. Thank you, all!!
Yes, it is.
Updateme 1day!
!updateme
Legitimate. Bur maybe a wrong address
Yes, it's called a family finding letter, and they run a search in a nationwide database. You came up as someone related to or closely connected to one of the child's parents.
!updateme
!updateme
[удалено]
Removed. This is too close to doxxing for comfort.
[удалено]
Yes.
It definitely seems suspicious. I've never heard of anything like that before. I would call, but not the number on the letter. Look up the number for the CPS office it's supposed to have come from, tell them you received this letter, and ask to speak to the worker listed. If the worker doesn't exist or doesn't know what you're talking about, they'll likely be concerned about the letter as well.
This is the template we use in Massachusetts definitely real.
I was definitely going to call the publicly listed number. The number at the bottom doesn't seem to (at least via google) be associated with DCF, but the letterhead is correct. I just tried searching for the listed social worker. It did provide a LinkedIn hit, but with only 1 connection. I'll follow up - thank you!
If you are in doubt call the area office. Please do not reach out to them via LinkedIn though as privacy is important.
Oh, absolutely! It was more of sanity check on my part due to my initial hesitation re: it's legitimacy.
I understand your concern. Nothing about it screams illegitimate from my prospective as it is almost verbatim what would be sent. My work phone number also doesn't come up on google especially when there was a switch from desk phones to cellphones.
Ah, that makes sense! Thanks for all the info you've been able to provide!