Mult Agency Response Team

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The DCFS Multi Agency Response Team (MART) Established in 2004 in Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services is the largest child protection and child welfare agency in the world. Each year, more than 10,000 children are temporarily placed into foster care following allegations that their parents or caretakers have abused or neglected them. Collaborations with specialized law enforcement agencies and task forces with DCFS child abuse experts has resulted in the rescue, placement and assessment of children found in the most heinous of circumstances including severe physical abuse/ neglect, sexual abuse/ exploitation, human trafficking, gang violence, organized crime and drug manufacturing exposure. The name of the specialized unit within DCFS that handles these types of cases is called the MART (Multi-Agency Response Team).

MART is staffed by civilian child abuse investigators who have received extensive training in social work and child protective services, law enforcement tactics, surveillance techniques and forensic interviewing. MART social workers are considered an elite division within DCFS and are recruited and selected based on tenure and proven expertise. Positions in MART are similar to their law enforcement counterparts in that (unlike other typical ‘line’ functions at DCFS), investigators serve voluntarily and are usually rotated into different positions on the team.

The core component of the MART strategy is one of multi-agency, interdisciplinary teamwork. Historically, civilian child protective services agencies respond to, but usually not alongside with, law enforcement during the course of investigations with a nexus to child abuse. MART social workers (investigators) have broken this traditional role by participating with law enforcement counterparts at all levels of government in not only child abuse response, but in the operational planning of law enforcement actions as well.

To date, the DCFS MART Unit has collaborated in over 3000 operations in coordination with the Los Angeles Sheriffs Dept., Los Angeles Police Department, County Probation Department, CA State Parole, CA Department of Justice, FBI- Los Angeles Branch, Homeland Security- Los Angeles Field Office, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as a number of (confidential) specialized task forces with specialized divisions.