Child Protective Services

Child Protective Services Attorneys in Raleigh NC

Board Certified Child Welfare Law  ·  North Carolina

Child Protective Services
We Fight for Your Family.

A CPS investigation or DSS case can turn your family’s life upside down. Whether you are a parent facing allegations, a foster parent at risk of losing a child, or a family member fighting for custody, we are here to protect your rights and fight for your family.

Serving Wake County  ·  Johnston  ·  Durham  ·  Chatham  ·  Harnett  ·  Franklin  ·  and all of North Carolina

Time Is Critical in CPS Cases

Once DSS opens an investigation or files a petition, the process moves quickly and decisions made in the early stages can have lasting consequences. The earlier you have an attorney involved, the more options you have. Do not wait until a court date is already scheduled to seek legal help.

How We Can Help

We Handle Every Stage of a CPS or DSS Case

Our attorneys represent parents, relative caretakers, foster parents, and families at every stage of the child protective services process in North Carolina, from the first knock at the door through trial, appeal, and beyond.

CPS Investigations

When DSS receives a report of suspected abuse or neglect, they are required to investigate. That investigation can include unannounced home visits, interviews with your children at school, requests for medical and school records, and interviews with you. You have rights during a CPS investigation, and knowing them matters.

Advising you on what to say, what not to say, and how to interact with DSS investigators

Protecting your rights during voluntary case plans and safety agreements

Challenging DSS decisions to substantiate an allegation or remove your child

Abuse, Neglect and Dependency Adjudications, Dispositions and Reviews

When DSS files a petition alleging that a child is abused, neglected, or dependent, the case moves into the juvenile court system. These proceedings determine where your child lives, what services you must complete, and whether you can maintain your parental rights. The stakes at every hearing are high.

Representing you at adjudication hearings to contest the allegations

Advocating at disposition for the least restrictive case plan and maximum contact with your child

Representing you at review hearings to demonstrate progress and seek reunification

Responsible Individuals List (RIL) Appeals

When DSS substantiates an allegation of abuse or serious neglect, your name may be placed on North Carolina’s Responsible Individuals List. Placement on this list can affect your employment, your ability to work with children, and your background check results for years. You have the right to appeal, and that right has a deadline.

Filing timely appeals to challenge your placement on the RIL

Representing you through the DSS administrative hearing process

Seeking removal of your name from the list to protect your livelihood and reputation

Termination of Parental Rights Hearings

A termination of parental rights (TPR) proceeding is the most serious action in the juvenile court system. It permanently ends the legal relationship between a parent and child. If DSS has filed a TPR petition against you, you need experienced legal representation immediately.

Contesting the grounds for termination at the adjudication phase

Arguing the best-interests phase to present every reason why your rights should be preserved

Pursuing appeals of adverse TPR rulings through the NC Court of Appeals

Foster Parent Rights

Foster parents and kinship caregivers have rights in the juvenile court process, including under North Carolina’s new 2025 law that requires DSS to seek a court hearing before moving a child who has lived with you for 12 or more consecutive months when adoption is the permanent plan. We know this law and we fight for foster families.

Representing foster parents at placement change hearings under NCGS 7B-906.2(b1)

Advising relative and kinship caregivers on their rights and options in DSS proceedings

Helping prospective adoptive foster families navigate the path from placement to adoption

Speak With an Attorney Today

Call or text us directly.

We answer questions and take cases from families across North Carolina.

Why Batch, Poore & Williams

Board Certified. Deeply Experienced. On Your Side.

Child protective services cases are among the most high-stakes matters in the legal system. The opposing side, DSS, has experienced attorneys and social workers. You deserve a legal team that knows this system just as well and is fully committed to protecting your family.

Board Certified in Child Welfare Law

Sydney Batch and Shannon Poore hold NC State Bar Board Certification in Child Welfare Law, a distinction earned by fewer than a handful of attorneys in North Carolina. This means demonstrated expertise, not just experience.

We Know How DSS Operates

Our attorneys have deep experience in how North Carolina DSS offices investigate cases, make decisions, and present evidence in court. We use that knowledge to challenge DSS at every step and protect your rights.

A Dedicated Team on Every Case

Every BPW client is supported by a dedicated team of a partner, associate attorney, and paralegal, ensuring your case receives senior oversight, consistent attention, and responsive communication at every stage.

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Local Presence, Statewide Reach

Based in Raleigh, our attorneys appear regularly in Wake County Juvenile Court and throughout the Triangle. We handle cases across all 100 North Carolina counties.

Your Legal Team

Board Certified Child Welfare Attorneys

Sydney Batch and Shannon Poore are two of a very small number of attorneys in North Carolina who hold Board Certification in Child Welfare Law from the NC State Bar. They have represented parents, foster families, and kinship caregivers in juvenile court for years and bring deep knowledge of how DSS cases work at every stage.

Sydney J. Batch, J.D., M.S.W.
Founding Partner. Triple Tar Heel (BA, MSW, JD, UNC). Juvenile law, DSS cases, foster parent representation, adoptions, termination of parental rights.
Board Certified, Child Welfare Law

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Shannon C. Poore, J.D.
Founding Partner. Juvenile law, family law, guardianship, kinship care, adoptions. Extensive experience representing parents and foster families in NC juvenile courts.
Board Certified, Child Welfare Law

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Helpful Resources

Answers to Common CPS Questions

Our attorneys have written detailed guides on the questions families facing CPS cases ask most often. Start here to understand your situation and your options.

Under NC’s new 2025 law, DSS must seek a court hearing before removing a qualifying foster child. Learn if this protection applies to you.
Understand the timeline of a CPS investigation in North Carolina, what happens at each stage, and what DSS is required to do.
What you say to investigators can affect both your CPS case and any related criminal matter. Read this before your next interaction with DSS or law enforcement.
Answers to the most common questions about CPS investigations, DSS cases, court hearings, and your rights as a parent or caretaker in North Carolina.
Everything you need to know about TPR proceedings in NC, including grounds, process, your rights, and how our attorneys defend parents facing termination.

Where We Practice

Serving Families Across North Carolina

Our attorneys appear regularly in Wake County Juvenile Court and throughout the Triangle. We handle CPS and DSS cases across all of North Carolina.

Wake County
Johnston County
Durham County
Chatham County
Harnett County
Franklin County
Orange County
Nash County
Lee County
Granville County
Moore County
+ All 100 NC Counties

Your Family Deserves Experienced Representation

CPS cases move fast. Get help now.

The sooner you have an attorney, the more options you have. Call, text, or fill out our contact form and we will be in touch promptly.

This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship with Batch, Poore & Williams, PC. Every case is unique. Contact our office to discuss the specific facts of your situation.