To file a complaint against NH DCYF, you have three channels: the agency’s own Constituent Relations office, the DHHS Office of the Ombudsman, and the independent Office of the Child Advocate. Which one fits depends on how much distance you want from DCYF itself and whether you’ve already tried to resolve the problem through the caseworker’s chain of command. None of them charge a fee.
Try the Internal Chain First
DCYF Policy 2760 expects you to raise the issue inside the agency before escalating. Start with the assigned caseworker. If that goes nowhere, go to the caseworker’s supervisor. If the supervisor doesn’t resolve it, contact the District Office Program Manager. Policy 2760 treats the formal channels below as the next step after that chain breaks down, not a substitute for it. If you’re unwilling to work through DCYF staff at all, the policy specifically tells agency staff to refer you to the DHHS Ombudsman.
Where to Send a Formal Complaint
DCYF Constituent Relations
This is DCYF’s own intake point for concerns about staff and processes. Reach it by phone at 603-271-4319, by email at DCYFConstituentRelations@dhhs.nh.gov, or by mail at 129 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301. Use this channel when you want the agency to review itself and you’ve already tried the caseworker-supervisor-manager escalation.
DHHS Office of the Ombudsman
The Ombudsman sits inside DHHS but outside DCYF, which gives you some separation from the people you’re complaining about. Its scope covers “Services to Children and Families” and “Juvenile Justice,” among other DHHS programs. DHHS publishes a dedicated Ombudsman Grievance Form (Form 2106) for written submissions.
Office of the Child Advocate
For the most independent review, the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) sits outside the executive branch agencies it oversees. It was established by RSA 170-G:18 and provides independent oversight of DCYF, the Bureau for Children’s Behavioral Health, residential facilities, and any agency contracted with the state to serve children and families. The OCA has statutory authority to access all DCYF records, so its reviews are not limited to what the agency chooses to share. Its Assistant Child Advocates handle “inquiries” from anyone with concerns about children’s services. Submit through childadvocate.nh.gov.
The OCA is not an emergency service. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. To report suspected abuse or neglect, call 1-800-894-5533.
What to Put in Your Complaint
Policy 2760 lets you complain by letter, phone, email, or in person. However you submit it, give the reviewer enough that someone unfamiliar with your case can follow what happened. Pull the following together before you write:
- Your DCYF case number.
- The names of every caseworker, supervisor, or other DCYF employee involved in the incident.
- A chronology with specific dates and times of calls, home visits, meetings, and other interactions where the problem occurred.
- Copies of emails, letters, and text messages from agency staff that back up your account.
- A plain description of what the staff member did wrong: shared confidential information with someone not authorized to see it, failed to return calls, placed inaccurate information in your file, used intimidation, violated procedure during an investigation. You don’t need to cite a statute, but being specific helps the reviewer focus.
Keep the narrative factual. Describe actions: who did what, when, and what the consequence was. Attach witness statements if other people observed the conduct. Label every attachment and reference it in your written statement so the reviewer can match evidence to each claim.
If you mail your complaint, send it certified so you have proof of delivery and a timestamp.
Confidentiality violations are worth flagging clearly. Under RSA 170-G:8-a, DCYF case records are confidential and the statute limits who may see them. If a caseworker disclosed your family’s information to someone outside the authorized categories, name the recipient, the information disclosed, and how you learned about it.
How Quickly You Should Hear Back
Policy 2760 sets internal deadlines. Written complaints to the DCYF Director must get a response within one week of receipt. Phone inquiries should be returned within 24 hours when possible. Complaints routed through the Governor’s office or the DHHS Commissioner’s office get a response within two business days.
Inside DCYF, a District Office Program Manager reviews the concern, examines the case records, and assigns staff to investigate. The written reply goes through supervisory review before the DCYF State Office signs off.
The Office of the Child Advocate works on its own timeline. Because of reduced staffing, the OCA now aims to respond within three to five business days rather than its earlier 24-to-48-hour target. Its reviews can run deeper than an internal DCYF response because it has direct access to the records rather than relying on the agency’s summary.
What a Complaint Can and Can’t Do
A complaint addresses the conduct of DCYF and its staff. It does not change a court order. Custody arrangements, visitation schedules, and terminations of parental rights are decided by judges, not caseworkers, and challenging them requires an appeal or motion through the court system. Filing a complaint against a caseworker will not undo a judge’s ruling.
Formal agency decisions are also a separate track. If DCYF took official action against you, such as placing your name on the state’s central registry of child abuse and neglect, denying benefits, or revoking a license, you have the right to request an administrative appeal hearing through the DHHS Administrative Appeals Unit. You generally have 30 days from the date on the Notice of Decision to file. The request must be in writing. Submit it to your local District Office, mail it to the Administrative Appeals Unit, or email dhhs.aau@dhhs.nh.gov. If you cannot write the request yourself, you can start the process by telling any DHHS representative that you want to appeal.
Discrimination and Disability Accommodation Complaints
When the problem is discrimination rather than general mismanagement, federal law gives you a separate path. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits programs receiving federal funding from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin, and DCYF receives federal money through Title IV-E of the Social Security Act.
File with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The complaint must be in writing, name the agency, describe the discriminatory acts, and be filed within 180 days of when you became aware of the discrimination. OCR may extend that deadline for good cause. The fastest route is the OCR Complaint Portal at ocrportal.hhs.gov; mail, fax, and email are also accepted.
Parents with disabilities have added protection under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. DCYF must provide reasonable modifications so parents, guardians, or prospective parents with disabilities can fully participate in agency programs. The agency cannot rely on stereotypes about a disability and must conduct an individualized assessment of each parent’s ability to care for their child. Reasonable modifications can include one-on-one parenting instruction instead of group classes, additional support services, or adjusted meeting formats.
The agency must also provide effective communication through auxiliary aids like sign language interpreters or large-print materials. DCYF cannot require you to bring your own interpreter, cannot rely on your minor child to interpret, and cannot charge you for these accommodations. If DCYF refuses to provide them, that refusal supports both a state-level complaint through the channels above and a federal civil rights complaint with OCR.