Department Programs

"Working to keep children safe, helping individuals and families become self-sufficient, and providing safe refuge during disasters"

• Child Support Enforcement
• Child Welfare
• Disability Determination
• Economic Stability
• Emergency Preparedness

Child Support Enforcement - DCFS offers parent locator and paternity establishment services, as well as assistance to establish and enforce child support orders and collection and distribution of child support payments. Access and Visitation Assistance is also a service provided.

• Delinquent Payors - The Most Wanted delinquent payors are individuals under a legal obligation to pay child support who have not made a payment in the last six months and owe at least $10,000.

Child Welfare - The Child Welfare Division works to meet the needs of Louisiana's most vulnerable citizens.

• Adoptive Parenting - Allows prospective parents to gather information on the process of adoption, orientation schedules in their region to learn more and learn about the children available for adoption.
• Adoption Profiles - This tool features some of the Louisiana children available for adoption on the DCFS website, as well as in their communities.
• Central Intake - 1-855-4LA-KIDS - Report Child Abuse and Neglect- Those who witness or suspect child abuse or neglect are urged to report and disclose any information. This toll-free hotline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Mandated reporters are required by law to report any abuse or neglect.
• Child Protection Investigations - Child protection investigation is the investigation of child abuse and neglect, as well as the provision of short-term, concrete services to children and families. These services are legally mandated, specialized investigations and social services for children who are alleged to be neglected, abused, exploited or without proper custody or guardianship.
• Family Services - Family Services are social services, which are provided to families and children in their own homes in order to address problems of abuse/neglect and promote the safety of the children within the family unit.
• Family Team Meetings - The purpose of Family Team Meetings is to keep children safe, promote children's well-being and support families.
• Foster Parenting - Foster parents provide for the daily needs and care of the child, creating a family-like environment for the child and offers supervision, discipline, guidance and nurturing.
• Safe Haven - Parents who are unable to care for a baby less than 60-days-old can bring the child to an emergency designated facility, or Safe Haven. By leaving the baby in the care of an employee at a Safe Haven facility, parents can give up custody of a baby with no questions asked.
• Safe Sleep - Provides information on the safest place for a baby to sleep.

Disability Determination - Disability Determination Services (DDS) is the state agency responsible for determining if individuals are disabled within the Title II/XVI requirements. All disability benefits, as well as the administrative costs of operating the DDS Program, are 100% federally funded.

Economic Stability - The Economic Stability section of DCFS assists families with needed assistance programs.

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP - Provides monthly benefits that help low-income households buy the food needed for good health.
• Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP) - Provides cash assistance for eligible children who reside with qualified relatives other than parents.
• Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) - Provides temporary cash assistance to families in need.
• Strategies to Empower People Program (STEP) - The goal of the Strategies to Empower People (STEP) Program is to provide opportunities for work-eligible families of FITAP to receive job training, employment and supportive services to enable them to become self-sufficient. STEP is the result of the Personal Responsibility and Universal Engagement Act of 2003 passed by the Louisiana Legislature.
• CAFÉ - An online account that gives access to our new online smart application that only asks questions that apply to you. CAFÉ offers you the same services, just in a way that's more convenient. Submit online applications and redeterminations for SNAP, FITAP and KCSP.
• Fraud and Recovery - Fraud includes concealing or not reporting information in order to receive ineligible public assistance benefits (SNAP, FITAP and KCSP) and Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits.
• Community Partners - DCFS Community Partners are a collaborative network of regional and community organizations that can assist clients with varying levels of support, from providing information about DCFS services to guiding clients through the application process.

Emergency Preparedness - DCFS is responsible for managing state Critical Transportation Needs Shelters, Medical Special Needs Shelters, Sex Offender Shelter, and Unaccompanied Minor Shelter while providing staff and resources to General Population Shelters (GPS) upon request.