Where Chula Vista CPS cases are heard
Chula Vista is in San Diego County, so the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, Child Welfare Services (CWS) handles the investigation and files petitions under Welfare & Institutions Code § 300. The case itself is heard at the San Diego Juvenile Court, where a judge decides whether your child comes home, where your child lives during the case, and how often you can visit. The courthouse is the San Diego Juvenile Court, 2851 Meadow Lark Drive, San Diego, CA 92123. East County cases are heard in El Cajon and North County cases in Vista. Free public parking at Meadow Lark; bring photo ID.
Your case number and the department are on the first page of the petition and every notice you receive. Departments and courtrooms move; check the lobby directory the morning of your hearing. Dependency hearings are closed to the public, so only parties, attorneys, and people the court allows may be in the courtroom.
San Diego, CA 92123
Monday–Friday; business office opens 8:30 a.m.
Before the hearing
Arrive early
Plan to be inside the building 30 to 45 minutes before the calendar starts. Parking, the security line, and finding the department all take longer than you expect, and a judge who calls your case while you're in the parking structure may proceed without you.
What to bring
Government photo ID, the petition and every report or notice you've received, proof of anything you've already done (class enrollment, test results, a lease, a pay stub), the names and phone numbers of relatives willing to take placement, and a pen. Bring your phone but keep it silent and put away. Do not bring your children unless the court ordered them to appear.
How to dress and act
Dress as you would for a job interview. In the courtroom, stand when the judge enters, speak only when asked, and address the judge as "Your Honor." Never interrupt the social worker or county counsel, however untrue what they're saying is; your attorney will respond. Judges decide credibility in minutes, and composure is most of it.
Have a hearing coming up? We'll tell you exactly what to expect in that department. (844) 799-1000 · Free case review
Who is in the courtroom
The judge or commissioner; county counsel, the lawyer for CWS; the social worker; the child's attorney (every child gets one); your attorney; the other parent and their attorney; and sometimes a relative caregiver. The child's attorney and the social worker's recommendation carry real weight, which is why we talk to both before the hearing, not just at it.
What a typical hearing day looks like
The clerk calls the calendar; attorneys check in and tell the court whether the matter is agreed, needs a short hearing, or needs a contested setting. Agreed matters go first. Contested detention and jurisdiction hearings are heard in the order the judge sets, often after a meet-and-confer in the hallway where placement and visitation get negotiated. Most hearings last 15 to 30 minutes; a contested jurisdiction trial can take a full day or more across several dates.
Visitation and placement
If your child is detained, the court sets visitation at the first hearing, usually monitored at first. Every hearing after that is a chance to expand it. Relatives are preferred over foster care by law; if a grandparent, aunt, or uncle can take placement, get their name and contact information to us before the hearing so the assessment can start immediately.
Serving Chula Vista and all of San Diego County
Our main office is in Arcadia, and we appear in San Diego County juvenile court for parents throughout the county, including San Diego, Oceanside, Escondido, Carlsbad, El Cajon, Vista, San Marcos, Encinitas, National City, La Mesa, Santee, Poway, and the surrounding communities.
Call (844) 799-1000 or start your free case review. (844) 799-1000 · Free case review