What is a CHIPS case?
A CHIPS case is a civil court proceeding in which the government alleges that a child is in need of protection or services under Wisconsin law.
Every case is different, and every family has its own story.
Many CHIPS cases involve underlying challenges such as:
• Mental health conditions
• Substance use disorders
• Poverty or housing instability
• Cognitive or developmental disabilities
• Domestic violence
• Other circumstances that can impact a family's ability to safely care for a child
Sometimes, the evidence supports the allegations in the petition. In those cases, the focus often becomes ensuring that parents receive meaningful services, advocating for reasonable conditions for return, addressing barriers to reunification, evaluating visitation rights, and holding the agency accountable for making reasonable efforts to help families safely reunify.
Other times, the evidence does not support the allegations. Parents have the right to contest the petition, require the petitioner to prove its case, and have the matter decided at a jury trial.
Child welfare research has consistently recognized the importance of addressing the underlying challenges that bring families into the system. When children can safely remain with or reunify with their families, meaningful services and support can help strengthen families and break cycles of intergenerational trauma.
Parents have important legal rights throughout a CHIPS case. An attorney's role is to protect those rights, ensure the petitioner meets its legal obligations, and advocate for solutions that are supported by the facts and serve the family's long-term interests.
Freeman & Johnson Law Office is proud to represent parents in Wisconsin CHIPS cases and to advocate for families at every stage of the process.
