One of the most painful things that a parent could ever experience is the accusation of child neglect. While many such allegations are legally valid, in some situations, charges of child neglect can end up being absolutely unfounded. Rusty Applegate is a South Carolina family law attorney with extensive experience in children’s rights and child neglect. According to Applegate, if you are officially accused of or charged with child neglect, then it is imperative that you hire a lawyer familiar with the ins and outs of this particular area of the law.
According to South Carolina law, numerous circumstances constitute child neglect. Parents are required to provide their children with medical care, food, clothing, and sanitary living quarters. Parents must also see to it that their children attend school as required, and that their children are watched during periods in which school is not in session. While a lot of these requirements might seem obvious to some, unfortunately, far too many cases each year in which children are taken away from people who are unable to fulfill such parental obligations.
Of course, there are other circumstances under which a parent might be deemed unfit. Any parent who engages in illegal drug use automatically runs the risk of losing his children. Furthermore, it is possible to be deemed unfit as a parent even if you have the most sincere of intentions when it comes to your children. For example, you might bring home a decent salary and provide a clean household. But if you leave your young children alone for extended periods of time, then that could also constitute neglect.
Unfortunately, rising day care and babysitting costs have caused more and more children to be left home alone while their parents go off to work. But working long hours is not a valid reason to leave children unattended for extended periods of time. Even if the intent in such situations is to provide the maximum amount of financial support to the children involved, the reality is that any parents who fail to offer their children proper supervision can be deemed unfit from a legal perspective.
Child neglect is, without question, a serious accusation, and one that often results in the removal of children from their parents’ households. However, parents faced with such accusations need to realize that under most circumstances, a lawyer can help. In a situation where the child neglect charges are actually unfounded, a lawyer can argue the accused parent’s case and try to prove that his children were taken away without proper cause. In situations where child neglect claims are indeed valid, attorneys can work with the social services agency involved to come up with a way of rehabilitating the parents in order to allow their children to return home. In fact, according to Rusty, when children are taken away, it rarely pays to fight the system. Instead, it makes far more sense to work together to reach a solution that involves reuniting the family.
Even if parents are willing to work with local agencies on their own in order to get their children back, it still helps to have an attorney act as an intermediary. In such situations, an attorney can work to ensure that the government agency involved imposes a set of reasonable requirements that parents must fulfill in order to get their kids back. An attorney can also help all the parties involved stay focused on the big picture. Such exercises aim to bring the affected family back together and teach each parent how to properly serve such a role for the sake of their children.
Whether you’re wrongfully accused or not, if you happen to find yourself in the heartbreaking situation of having been charged with child neglect, then don’t attempt to tackle the situation on your own. Hire a lawyer who knows what he’s doing and promise yourself that you’re going to do whatever it takes to get your child back.
This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.
