This story is the third in a series on the connections between housing instability and child welfare. This project was supported by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s National Fellowship and Fund for Reporting on Child Well-Being.

Before a family begins the process of complying with case plans outlined by agencies in order to keep their children, before protective services intervenes to remove a child, and before a parent sets foot in a courtroom seeking to reunite with their children, child welfare cases begin with a referral.

Last year there were nearly 41,000 referrals to child protective services (CPS) throughout the state, according to data from the Nevada Department of Family and Child Services (DFCS).

The bulk of investigations are in Clark County, which received 3

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