Taylor Frankie Paul: Department of Children and Family Services Files Petition Slamming Her

Taylor Frankie Paul is facing a new legal battle ... 'cause Utah's Division of Child and Family Services has filed a petition asking a juvenile court to find her three children are "abused, neglected or dependent" and order protective supervision ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ ... Utah DCFS filed the petition this week, asking the court to take jurisdiction over the "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star's children with ex-husband Tate Paul and ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen and set the matter for an expedited hearing.

The filing asks a judge to find the children meet Utah's legal definition of "abused, neglected or dependent children" and to order protective supervision services, appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the children and issue any additional orders deemed to be in their best interests.

The petition also references the family's prior history with DCFS and ongoing custody matters involving the fathers of Taylor's children as part of the agency's request for court intervention.

The filing comes months after TMZ obtained photographs of Tate and Dakota crossing paths at a Utah courthouse in March. As we first reported, both men were there separately seeking protective orders against Taylor.

Taylor's legal reps tell TMZ ... "It was recently decided that the ongoing custody actions would be best suited for juvenile court, a common step for families engaged in highly contentious, complex custody matters. Taylor is not deterred by this transition; she welcomes the added structure and oversight it provides and looks forward to continuing her progress toward normalizing custody and becoming the healthiest version of herself."

They continue ... "Taylor remains fully committed to doing whatever is necessary to reach that goal and will not be swayed from it. Taylor appreciates the professionalism of DCFS and its representatives."