Most child abuse allegations coming into the Child Protection Services (CPS) on Long Island and Association for Child Services (ACS) in the City of New York come in by anonymous phone calls on child abuse hotlines. On a national basis, about 3.5 million reports of child abuse are made each and every year. Child protection agencies are supposed to sort out which of the claims being made are credible and which are phony or trivial. The large majority of states have a screening process to determine which claims of child abuse should be followed up and which should be ignored.
Child protection agencies have the job of seeing to it children are protected. However, what child protection agencies shouldn’t do is intervene in the private lives of families where there is actually no child abuse. Unfortunately, in the State of New York, child abuse investigative agencies err on the side of caution in almost all cases. Part of the reason for the overly aggressive behavior of child abuse investigators has to do with the fact that they are forced to make significant decisions regarding the health and welfare of children with limited information being provided to them.
Child Abuse Investigations
Upon receiving information about an alleged case of child abuse or neglect, the child protection agency may start an investigation, assign a social worker to look into the family circumstances, suggest counseling to families, and/or bring a proceeding in the Family Court in the State of New York for child abuse or child neglect. These proceedings can result in the removal of the child from the custody of the parent.
The issue that investigators and social workers for child protection agencies have is determining whether parents are mistreating their children or is this a situation where the parents are just trying to do the right thing.
Elliot S. Schlissel is a father’s rights lawyer. His law firm protects parents from improper findings of child abuse and child neglect.
About Elliot S. Schlissel
