Complaints About County Child Welfare Services Agencies
Reporting Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect by Parent or Other Caretaker Having Custody
If you suspect that a child's health or safety is jeopardized due to abuse or neglect by parents or other caretaker who has custody of the child, contact the appropriate Emergency Response Hotline Number For County Child Protective Services to report the details. The appropriate county CWS agency is the county, in which, the child resides. These telephone number are also available in the County Government section of the local telephone directory, or call 911 for emergencies.
Child Custody and Visitation Issues
Concerns about child custody and visitation orders issued by the Family Court must be directed to the Family Court Services Office in the county where the orders were issued. Family Court Investigators, Child Custody Evaluators, and Family Court Mediators are available to provide dispute resolution in each of the 58 counties. The telephone number for Family Court Services is in the County Government section of the local telephone directory under "Courts" or you may also find custody-related information and county contact telephone numbers at www.courts.ca.gov.
Child Support Issues
The California Department of Child Support oversees California’s Child Support Program. For additional information, visit them at childsupport.ca.gov.
Reporting Foster Youth Rights Violations
If your complaint is related to the care, placement, services, or rights of foster youth please contact:
Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson
744 P Street, M.S. 8-13-25
Sacramento, CA 95814
1-(877) 846-1602
fosteryouthhelp@dss.ca.gov
For more information on how the Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson can assist you, please visit our website at https://fosteryouthhelp.ca.gov
Complaints Regarding County Social Worker Conduct
Concerns about possible inappropriate actions of county employees and requests to change assigned social workers should be addressed to the Director of the county CWS agency for resolution. The names of county directors, addresses, and telephone numbers are listed in the County Government section of the local telephone directory or you may also find this information by visiting the County Welfare Directors Association website at www.cwda.org/membership.
Complaints About Law Enforcement Officers
Complaints about sheriff deputies and police officers should be directed to the complaint department of the appropriate law enforcement agency, which can provide details about how to file a complaint. If satisfaction is not received from that process, a further complaint can be filed with the county's District Attorney's Office. These telephone numbers are available in the City/County Government section of the local telephone directory.
Complaints About California Judges for Misconduct or Wrongdoing
Complaints about California judges should be made in writing to the Commission on Judicial Performance. You may use the Commission's complaint form or write a letter describing the judge's conduct. (A complaint form can be obtained by calling the phone number for the Commission shown below.) Written complaints should include the name of the judge, relevant dates, names of witnesses, and sources of information. Copies (do not send originals) of court documents may be attached to your letter to support the allegations against the judge. Written complaints should be sent to:
State Commission on Judicial Performance
455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 14400
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-1220
Website address: www.courts.ca.gov
Please note that the Commission does not have authority to direct a judge to take legal action, or to review a case for judicial error, mistake or other legal grounds. These functions are for the State's appellate courts.
Non Child Welfare Complaints
File a complaint involving non-child welfare services issues here
How to Complain About Public Assistance Programs