Child protection cases involving child endangerment and abuse issues are very serious. No matter which side of the argument you are on (the accused who is allegedly endangering a child or the parent or other individuals who are attempting to remove the child from a home environment), you need legal help to navigate through this tricky process.
In New Jersey, the Child Protection and Permanency are the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services that is considered the premiere child protection and child welfare agency within the Department of Children and Families.
The mission of the DCPP and DYFS is to protect children and look out for their well-being. They also aim to offer support for families but only to the extent that they can protect the children and ensure their safety.
Abuse and Neglect Cases
The Department of Child Protection and Permanency is the agency that is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect. They also arrange for the child’s protection and family treatment of family crises when it involves abuse and neglect. This can involve seeking psychological and financial help for families in these situations as well as offer temporary protection shelter and other resources for victims.
While the DCPP is an organization that cares about families, their priority is to ensure that the children are safe. Sometimes this means that you could be caught in the crossfire if you are accused or suspected of endangering a child.
Endangering a child is a serious crime and penalties can be severe. The New Jersey statute for child endangerment is listed under code 2C:24-4. Endangering the welfare of a child is considered a third-degree felony which is punishable by 3-5 years in prison.
If you are accused or charged with a child endangerment charge, you need the help of a criminal defense attorney like David Schlendorf or Ioana Enescu. Both seasoned criminal attorneys with DTS Law Firm, David and Ioana, can handle your child protection or endangerment case. They will sit down with you and go over the details of your case, ask you questions about the situation, and analyze and assist you with your legal strategies regarding such cases.
Innocent until Proven Guilty
In a perfect world, the only cases that DCPP would be dealing with are legitimate child protection cases. Unfortunately, not everyone is honest when dealing with these agencies. Estranged husbands or wives, boyfriends, or anyone with an ax to grind can pick up the phone and call in an anonymous call to DCPP or DYFS out of revenge or spite. This claim can be devastating to a family because of the legal and societal implications it creates on the family name and reputation.
If this is the case with your charge or investigation, you can use civil law to sue them for defamation or slander since their words caused you legal or financial damages. This may likely be considered a personal injury case.
Our defense attorneys at DTS Law Firm have experience in dealing with issues involving child endangerment and protection. David and Ioana can help you salvage your reputation and give you the best representation possible in a child endangerment case.
If you are a parent who is accused of child endangerment, you need to act fast to seek out legal advice and help before the DCPP tries to remove your child from your home. This is a traumatic and devastating event that can do lasting harm to a child. If it is necessary to protect them, it is understandable. But what if you just the victim of a spiteful revenge plot by an ex-spouse or nosy neighbor who doesn’t have the facts?
If you are involved in a dispute with the DCPP, it’s possible that you have serious questions about your rights and options regarding such cases. You need to keep your child in your care if you are innocent of this charge. Additionally, in some cases, an estranged spouse who is abusive may be awarded custody by accusing you of abuse when, in fact, it was them who was abusive.
Do it now
The best thing you can do to protect yourself (and your children) from these situations is to seek the help of a professional attorney. You don’t want to wait until the DCPP or Child Services comes to your home to pick up your child. Your child could be placed in foster care, or you could lose the ability to decide where your child lives.
What are mandatory reporters?
The DCPP is often called upon by mandatory reporters. These people can include teachers, nurses, hospital staff, school administrators, coaches, or any other mandatory reporter. A mandatory reporter is required by law to report any incident of suspected child abuse.
Suspected child abuse is indicated in some ways including bruises on a child that are not explained, strange behaviors, or reports by the child or other children that may indicate child abuse or neglect. If children are hungrier than usual at lunch and eat more than one meal at school, this might be an indication that they are being neglected at home and do not have an adequate food supply.
Your Best Defense
However, it is important to know that just because there is suspected abuse or neglect does not mean that there is such neglect or abuse. This is where a lawyer can help by learning the facts of the case and showing that you are innocent of the charges so you can get your child back if they have been taken from your home. If this has not happened yet, now is the time to protect your rights as a parent and ensure that your child stays safe.
Contact our attorneys today at DTSlawfirm.com to learn more. We can help you lay out a legal strategy in cases of child endangerment before the DCPP takes over your life and your choices regarding your children.
Fill out our contact form and learn more about our exceptional attorneys, David Schlendorf or Ioana Enescu to get the help you need, while there’s still time.