Santa Monica CPS Lawyer: your child was removed. You have days, not weeks.
You have very little time and a lot of rights. For nearly 40 years, CPS defense attorney Vincent W. Davis has defended Los Angeles County parents against DCFS at the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court. Talk to us before you talk to them.
CPS took your child? Free, confidential case review — we answer calls 24/7.
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- Nearly 40 years in dependency court
- Free, confidential consultation
- 24/7, nights & weekends
- Se habla español
- Serving all of Los Angeles County
Child removed in the last 48 hours?Your detention hearing is days away at most. It's your best chance to bring your child home. Don't walk in alone.
Call now · (844) 799-1000- Nearly 40 years in California dependency court
- Serving Santa Monica and all of Los Angeles County
- Free, confidential case review
- We answer calls 24/7
Searching for a DCFS or CPS lawyer in Santa Monica?
If you've been searching for a CPS lawyer in Santa Monica or a juvenile dependency attorney in Santa Monica, you've probably already had the knock on the door. In Los Angeles County, "CPS" is Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). A parent who walks into that system alone is at a serious disadvantage. A parent who walks in with a CPS defense attorney who has worked those courtrooms for nearly 40 years is not.
This is what we do, and only what we do on this site: CPS defense for parents in Santa Monica and across Los Angeles County. Detention hearings, jurisdiction trials, case plans, reunification, and the § 366.26 hearing where parental rights are on the line. If you need a detention hearing lawyer in Los Angeles County this week, call now; if DCFS has only just made contact, call before the next visit.
What happens when you call
No pressure, no cost, no judgment. Here is exactly how it goes:
- We answer calls 24/7. Tell us your child was taken or a social worker came by.
- We ask three questions. What county, when it happened, and when your next hearing is.
- You know your options in 10 minutes. What to do tonight, what not to say, and what it would cost to have us there.
Where are you right now?
Tap the one that matches. You'll see what the law says and what to do next.
You still have the most control right now.
- You are not required to let a social worker in without a court order or warrant, unless there is a true emergency. You can politely decline and say you want to speak with an attorney.
- You are not required to answer questions about the allegations or sign a "safety plan" that moves your child out of the home. Anything you say or sign can be used in court.
- Be polite. Don't argue, don't explain, don't hand over records without advice.
Welfare & Institutions Code § 306; Fourth Amendment. DCFS handles investigations in Los Angeles County.
CALL BEFORE THE NEXT VISIT · FREE · 24/7(844) 799-1000The clock is running. The detention hearing is within 48 hours.
- DCFS must file a petition within 48 hours of removal (not counting weekends and court holidays), and the court must hold the detention hearing by the end of the next court day after the petition is filed. If the county misses those deadlines, your child must be released.
- This hearing decides where your child lives for the next months. Judges rarely undo a detention order later, so winning it matters more than anything else.
- Get the names and phone numbers of relatives who can take placement tonight. Relatives are preferred over foster care by law.
Welfare & Institutions Code §§ 313, 315, 319. Heard at the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court.
CALL RIGHT NOW · FREE · 24/7(844) 799-1000Prepared parents get better orders.
- Jurisdiction: the trial on the petition. County counsel must prove the allegations by a preponderance of the evidence; allegations can be dismissed or amended if challenged.
- Disposition: sets the case plan. An unrealistic plan is a plan you'll be blamed for failing, so it has to be fought here.
- Review hearings: every six months. Progress on the plan and the quality of your visits decide whether visits expand and whether your child comes home.
Welfare & Institutions Code §§ 355, 358, 361.5, 366.21. Los Angeles County cases are heard at the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court.
TELL US YOUR HEARING DATE · FREE · 24/7(844) 799-1000This is the point of no return. Call today.
- A § 366.26 hearing chooses a permanent plan: adoption (which terminates parental rights), guardianship, or long-term foster care.
- The order setting the hearing can only be challenged by a writ petition, and the deadline to start that process is measured in days from the date you received notice.
- There are specific legal exceptions that can be argued at the hearing itself, but they need evidence prepared in advance.
Welfare & Institutions Code § 366.26; California Rules of Court, rules 8.450–8.452.
CALL THE SAME DAY · FREE · 24/7(844) 799-1000General information about California law, not legal advice for your situation. Call for a free, confidential review of your case.
Watch: parents who got their children back
Real clients, in their own words, after hiring Vincent W. Davis.
Testimonials are from actual clients of the firm. Every case is different; past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. More client videos and free CPS education on Beat CPS with Vince Davis on YouTube.
How a CPS case moves through Los Angeles County court
Tap each step to see what happens, the deadline that applies, and what we do about it.
The investigation
A hotline call sends a DCFS social worker to your door. They want to come inside, interview your children alone, and have you sign releases and a "safety plan."
You are not required to let them in without a warrant or a real emergency, answer questions about the allegations, or sign a safety plan. Everything you say goes into the report county counsel will use.
Welfare & Institutions Code § 306; Fourth Amendment.
The 48-hour clock
If DCFS removes your child, the county must file a petition under § 300 within 48 hours (not counting weekends and court holidays), and the court must hold the detention hearing by the end of the next court day after the petition is filed.
You will receive the petition and the detention report. Mistakes in that report that go unchallenged tend to become "facts" for the rest of the case.
Welfare & Institutions Code §§ 313, 315.
Your first and best chance
The judge asks one question: has the county shown that returning the child home right now would create a substantial danger? If not, the child comes home, sometimes with conditions.
Court-appointed lawyers often meet parents minutes before this hearing. Judges rarely undo a detention order later.
Welfare & Institutions Code § 319.
The trial on the petition
County counsel must prove the allegations by a preponderance of the evidence. You can cross-examine the social worker, call witnesses, and present evidence.
The allegations that are sustained control what your case plan requires and what the county can say about you later.
Welfare & Institutions Code § 355.
The case plan
The court decides whether the child stays home under supervision or is removed, and orders a case plan: parenting classes, counseling, testing, programs.
An impossible plan is a plan you'll be blamed for failing.
Welfare & Institutions Code §§ 358, 361.
Review hearings
Services generally run six months for a child under three and twelve months for a child three or older, extendable to eighteen. Each review looks at your progress and your visits.
This is where cases are won quietly: monitored visits become unmonitored, then overnights, then home.
Welfare & Institutions Code §§ 361.5, 366.21.
The permanent plan
The court chooses adoption (which terminates parental rights), guardianship, or long-term foster care.
The order setting this hearing can only be challenged by a writ petition, with a deadline measured in days from notice.
Welfare & Institutions Code § 366.26; Cal. Rules of Court 8.450–8.452.
Tonight: three things that protect your case
Don't let them in without a warrant
Unless there's a court order or a real emergency, you can politely decline entry and say you want to speak with a lawyer. That is your right, and it's not held against you.
Say as little as possible
Confirm who you are. Don't explain, don't argue, don't sign anything. Every word goes into the social worker's report that county counsel will use in court.
Call a CPS defense lawyer today
The detention hearing is your best early chance to bring your child home. Walking in with a prepared attorney, not one you met in the hallway, changes the outcome.
Read how a Los Angeles County CPS case works, hearing by hearing →
Where your Santa Monica CPS case will be heard
Santa Monica is in Los Angeles County, so the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) handles the investigation and files petitions under Welfare & Institutions Code § 300. The case itself is heard at the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court, where a judge decides whether your child comes home, where your child lives during the case, and how often you can visit.
We have appeared in these departments for decades. We know the DCFS social workers who cover Santa Monica, the county counsel who prosecute these cases, and how each courtroom runs its calendar.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Monday–Friday; detention calendar in the morning
Arrive at least 30 minutes early with photo ID. Security screening at the entrance; paid parking in the adjacent structure.
Full court guide: parking, what to bring, how the day runs →
The county's DCFS offices and the court that handle Santa Monica cases
Our office is in Arcadia: Law Offices of Vincent W. Davis & Associates, 440 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA 91006. We represent Santa Monica parents from there and appear in Los Angeles County juvenile court. The offices below belong to the county agency (DCFS), not to us; they're listed so you know who is handling your case and where it will be heard.
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) works out of regional offices, and the office that handles your case depends on where you live. Families in Santa Monica are typically served by the West Los Angeles office at 11390 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064. Other DCFS offices in the county include Metro North office (Los Angeles), Pasadena office (Pasadena), El Monte office (El Monte), Belvedere office (East Los Angeles), Glendora office (Glendora), Pomona office (Pomona) and others. The office and the social worker's name are printed on the notice you received; tell us which one and we'll know the supervisors and county counsel assigned to it.
Santa Monica dependency petitions are heard at the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court, 201 Centre Plaza Drive, Monterey Park, CA 91754; your notice states the department, and we appear there regularly.
Neighborhoods and nearby cities we serve from Santa Monica
We represent parents in every part of Santa Monica, including Downtown Santa Monica, Ocean Park, Pico, Mid-City, Sunset Park, North of Montana, Wilshire-Montana, and appear in Los Angeles County juvenile court for families throughout the county, including:
- Los Angeles
- Long Beach
- Glendale
- Pasadena
- Torrance
- Pomona
- Palmdale
- Lancaster
- Downey
- Inglewood
- West Covina
- Norwalk
- Burbank
- Compton
- Santa Clarita
- Whittier
- Alhambra
- Arcadia
- El Monte
Questions Santa Monica parents ask us
CPS took my child in Santa Monica — what do I do first?
Three things, today: (1) write down the social worker's name, the date, and exactly what you were told; (2) get the names and phone numbers of relatives who could take placement; (3) call a CPS defense lawyer before you talk to DCFS again. The detention hearing comes within days, and what you say and do before it matters more than anything that comes after.
Can I get my child back?
Many parents do. Children come home at the detention hearing when the county can't show a substantial danger, at disposition when the court finds supervision at home is enough, or after reunification services when the case plan is completed. Every case is different and no lawyer can promise a result, but the parents who get their children back fastest are the ones who prepare for the first hearing instead of the last one.
Who handles CPS cases in Santa Monica?
Santa Monica is in Los Angeles County, so child abuse and neglect investigations are handled by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, usually called DCFS. When people here say "CPS," they're almost always talking about DCFS. If a social worker contacted you, that's the agency you're dealing with.
Can DCFS take my child without a court order?
Only in a true emergency. Under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 306, a social worker may remove a child without a court order only when there is immediate danger and no reasonable way to protect the child at home. Otherwise DCFS must get a removal order from a juvenile court judge. If your child was taken, you have the right to challenge the removal at the detention hearing.
Do I have to let a DCFS social worker into my home?
No. Unless the social worker has a court order or a warrant, or there is a genuine emergency, you are not required to let them in. You can politely decline and say you want to speak with an attorney first. Letting a social worker in without proper authority can weaken your position later.
Where will my Santa Monica CPS case be heard?
Los Angeles County juvenile dependency cases are heard at the Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court, 201 Centre Plaza Drive, Monterey Park, CA 91754. Detention hearings are typically on the morning calendar. Arrive early and expect security screening.
Recognition
- 10.0 "Superb"Avvo rating
- 4.8 / 5140+ client reviews on Avvo
- Peer Review RatedMartindale-Hubbell
- State Bar No. 125399California, nearly 40 years
Ratings and review counts as shown on Vincent W. Davis's public Avvo profile.
What parents say after hiring us
From Google and Avvo reviews. Every case is different; results vary.
★★★★★"Yesterday, he won a big trial and got my 2 yr old son returned to me. Everyone was against him, and he still won."
Nataly T., Google review
★★★★★"At the first hearing he convinced the judge to send my 2 youngest children home. My court appointed attorney tried to talk me out of hiring him."
Alexis D., Google review
★★★★★"CPS refused to go to trial against him. Instead, I got unmonitored visits and weekend overnights in 3 weeks."
Mariela C., Google review
★★★★★"Attorney Davis is like a magic man in court."
Frances, Avvo review
★★★★★"Vince Davis is a life saver in my DCFS case."
Shawn, Avvo review
★★★★★"Almost 40 years experience, expert in the law, tops in the courtroom."
Valerie, Avvo review
★★★★★"I can't thank Vincent Davis enough for his outstanding support and representation during my CPS case."
Stacia, Avvo review
About Attorney Vincent W. Davis
Vincent W. Davis has practiced juvenile dependency and family law in California for nearly 40 years and is admitted to the State Bar of California (No. 125399). The Law Offices of Vincent W. Davis & Associates is based at 440 E. Huntington Drive in Arcadia and defends parents in dependency courts throughout the state. This page is part of the firm's statewide network of local resources; the full practice, attorney profiles, client reviews, and case results are on the main site at vincentwdavis.com. More about Vincent →
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Talk to a CPS defense lawyer before your hearing
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