INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING INTAKE PAPERWORK
Thank you for contacting Justice for Children. Justice for Children (JFC) is a national nonprofit organization committed to advocating for children who are victims of criminal abuse, yet are failed by the governmental systems designed to protect them.
We encourage you to familiarize yourself with our organization before completing these forms. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity in the provision of services or employment. Our area of advocacy is focused exclusively on the abused child. When determining whether JFC is the right agency for the child’s situation, please consider the following JFC does not substitute for Law Enforcement or CPS as lead investigative agencies where child abuse has been alleged. We are an advocacy organization, not a governmental one. Our clients are children who have already been deemed victims of abuse by the appropriate authorities yet still remain unprotected from their abusers or where the authorities have failed to conduct a proper investigation and have taken no action to protect the child.
There are several governmental entities that are involved in the investigation and/or assessment of child abuse: Law Enforcement; CPS; the District Attorney’s Office; Family or Juvenile Courts; and Criminal Courts (collectively, “The System.”) Our role at Justice for Children is to learn the facts of the case, determine where the System has broken down and why, try to get the case back on track by addressing the problem with the source and educating the source with the evidence and expertise we have in child abuse. JFC intervenes in cases of criminal child abuse; though, the source of the problem may lie in the civil courts (i.e., the Juvenile of Family Courts.) JFC becomes involved in cases of neglect on a case-by-case basis. JFC intervenes in custody/visitation disputes only when the children involved are victims of criminal child abuse.
JFC advocates for the best interests of the child. By necessity, however, this may mean that we are assisting a protective parent or grandparent to obtain custody. In order for a case to be considered by JFC, we must be in possession of supporting documentation of the abuse from law enforcement, medical or mental health personnel, or the state agency responsible for the protection of children. As a third party, JFC does not have the authority to obtain any of this documentation, it must be provided to us at intake. Exceptions cannot be made to the above criterion.
If you are unsure as to whether or not JFC will be able to assist the child’s current circumstance, please call us at 713-225-4357. The enclosed forms are necessary and must be received in completion in order for JFC to open a case.
