Question
I would like to know how can I obtain records for a previous case through Child services for my records and for court records for a case pertaining to child custody.
Answer
As a general rule, you need to file a petition with the juvenile court to obtain access to records of juvenile dependency cases. Under Welfare and Institutions Code section 827, the court is then required to balance the interests of all relevant parties, including the juvenile, to determine whether good cause exists to release some or all of the records.
With respect to custody cases, under Family Code section 3025.5, some of the records also have to be kept in a confidential file and may only be released to one of the parties, an attorney for the child, law enforcement, or to anyone else upon an order of the court based on a finding of good cause.
Asked & Answered posts should not be relied on as legal advice, and FAC makes no guarantees about their completeness or accuracy. All posts carry a date of publication that readers should take note of in assessing their usefulness, given that laws and interpretations of them may change over time. Posts predating Jan. 1, 2023, that discuss the California Public Records Act may contain statute numbers no longer in use. Please see this page for a table showing how the California Public Records Act has been renumbered.