Child Abuse and Neglect on Long Island

Protect Your Children with an Experienced Divorce & Child Custody Lawyer

Of course, your children’s safety and well-being are of the utmost importance, and learning that your child may have been abused or neglected is a devastating revelation. Naturally, you want to take action right away to safeguard your child from their abuser and to bring the perpetrator to justice. You’ll face many challenges in doing so, making it imperative that you build a network of support. This can include supportive family, friends, and most importantly, an experienced Long Island child custody attorney.

Understanding Child Abuse

Sadly, child abuse is still rampant in the U.S., despite massive efforts to raise awareness and advocate for hurting families. Often, abuse is the instigator of divorce, and many child custody battles involve allegations of child abuse. While physical abuse is most commonly thought of in relation to the term “child abuse,” the reality is that it can take many forms.

Understanding what actions may be abusive can help families recognize a harmful situation. A child does not have to be physically harmed to have suffered abuse; emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse are also common and no less devastating to a child. If you suspect your child has been abused in any way by your spouse or another family member, it’s important to get help right away. Evidence of child abuse can be used in a divorce or child custody case to help illustrate what would — and clearly wouldn’t — be in the child’s best interests.

Understanding Neglect

While different from abuse, child neglect has an equally negative and life-altering impact on families. Neglect can also take different forms, primarily emotional and physical. Emotional neglect occurs when a parent fails to meet a child’s needs for love, affection, validation, and understanding and is psychologically detrimental. Like child abuse, physical neglect puts the child in harm’s way. A caregiver may not adequately provide for a child’s basic needs, including food, clothing, heating and cooling, clean water, and hygiene.

A common example of child neglect after a divorce is when the non-custodial parent does not have the means, knowledge, or motivation to properly care for a child. The child may suffer from neglect during visitation on weekends or summers, which can vary in severity from problematic to life-threatening. If you believe your child may be the victim of neglect, it’s critical that you take action right away.

What Legal Options Do You Have to Stop an Abuser?

If you witness an act of neglect or abuse and your child is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

If your child is not in immediate danger but you believe them to be at risk, you can request an order of protection. You’ll be required to fill out a family offense petition, where you’ll need to be as detailed as possible about the incident(s) of abuse and/or neglect. If you’re unsure of how to do this, a lawyer can help you.

The order of protection will allow you to legally force the removal of your ex from the home, or to remove your child from the home. If you take your child without first getting an order of protection, you could be charged with parental kidnapping, even if it was for the child’s safety.

Contact Our Long Island Divorce Lawyers & Family Law Attorneys Today

Few things are more frightening than discovering that your child is the victim of neglect or abuse. It can be difficult to make sense of it all, and making informed, logical decisions when emotions are running high is challenging.

Contact our Long Island divorce and child custody law firm today at 631-923-1910 to schedule your free consultation and case evaluation. We can help you complete the necessary paperwork for an order of protection quickly, so you can immediately get your child to safety. Then, we’ll help you gather evidence of the abuse or neglect and build a case for custody arrangements that best protects your child from future harm. We understand how devastating child abuse and neglect is, and we’re committed to providing you with compassionate, caring support and zealous legal representation.