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Protect Your Family
DAC is dedicated to keeping families together through legal defense and early intervention, ensuring every family has a fair chance in the child welfare system.
If you have a court case in Santa Clara County that involved CPS (Department of Family and Children’s Services) and need legal representation:
If you do not have a court case, but have been contacted by Santa Clara County CPS (Department of Family and Children’s Services), are involved with the criminal justice system and need legal advice:
Court-Appointed Family Defense
If CPS has contacted you, you have a court date, or your child has been removed, DAC helps through their Family Defense program, assembling an interdisciplinary family defense team.
*All DAC professionals operate under attorney-client privilege and are not mandated reporters.
How we support families in court
DAC takes a three-part approach to every case.
Legal Services
If you're a parent who can't afford an attorney, the Juvenile Court can appoint DAC for representation with limited exceptions.
Our attorneys specialize in juvenile dependency law and advocate for both parents and youth, in and out of the courtroom. We help you understand what's happening at every stage of your case and what steps you need to take to reunite with your children or have your case dismissed.
You may have already been assigned a DAC attorney. If you don't know who they are or haven't heard from them, contact us at (408)-995-0714 or request help here.
In-House Social Workers
Our social workers (both Licensed Clinical Social Workers and Masters of Social Work) are a core part of every client's defense team.
We recognize that every parent who enters the system comes with their own story, background, and strengths. Our social workers take that seriously, building a personalized plan for each client based on who they are and what they need.
They work directly alongside your attorney and mentor parent, bringing clinical expertise that supports and strengthens your legal representation.
Mentor Parents
Mentor Parents are mothers and fathers who have been through the child welfare system themselves. Their children were removed, or at risk of being removed, due to issues like substance use, domestic violence, mental health, or criminal justice involvement.
They completed services, addressed the issues that brought them into the system, and successfully reunified with their children. DFCS is no longer involved in their families and their cases are closed.
Mentor Parents work alongside DAC attorneys as part of the interdisciplinary legal team, offering guidance and support to parents currently going through the process. Their role is to encourage early engagement in services and help you navigate the system with the benefit of firsthand experience.
Corridor Program
The Corridor program was created in partnership with Santa Clara County's Adult Probation Department to serve parents navigating both the criminal justice and child welfare systems at the same time, a situation that creates unique pressures and risks for families.
When you're on probation and also involved with CPS, the stakes of every conversation are higher. Because Corridor is attorney-led, all communication between the staff and clients is confidential: giving families the space to be honest, plan proactively, and actually get help.
How We Help
Corridor uses an interdisciplinary team of an attorney, a social worker, and gender-specific mentor parents to provide two types of services:
If you have an open dependency case, Corridor provides full-scope legal representation, peer support, resource referrals, and advocacy across both systems.
If you don't have an open case yet, Corridor works with you to prevent one from opening. That means connecting you to community resources, building safety plans for situations like relapse or incarceration, and providing legal consultation and limited-scope representation focused on keeping your family together.
Who Can Access Corridor
Corridor prevention services are free for parents (and expectant parents) with criminal justice involvement in Santa Clara County. Priority is given to those on adult or juvenile probation.
To learn more or refer a parent, contact our Corridor team at (408)-564-5142, corridor@sccdac.org or call our warm line below.