Child abuse and neglect cases are taken very seriously in the U.S. On the one hand, they actually help children who are in danger and at risk. On the other hand, good people are frequently falsely accused of child abuse and neglect and have their entire lives turned upside down. If you have been falsely accused of child neglect, you absolutely need a criminal defense attorney. Since the state will attempt to prosecute you for your alleged crime, you cannot go this alone and hope to come out of it unscathed. Here is what you need to do next.
Make Sure Your Home Is Presentable
Nothing substantiates a claim of child abuse quite like a messy home. Social workers and police will be looking for heavy clutter, food and crumbs everywhere, pest infestations (roaches, ants, flies), feces and urine on the floors or furniture, filthy clothes, dirty dishes stacked up, garbage overflowing or on the floors, etc. If you do not have any of these issues, just make sure things are tidy and everything smells good. If you have any cleaning issues at all, clear it out before a social worker arrives (if possible, since they sometimes arrive in tow with police officers).
It is also important to note that you DO NOT have to let anyone into your house without a court order, which may buy you some time to clean up some clutter if your home is less than spotless. If there is an ongoing investigation into your neglect charges, expect more regular visits whether you agree to them or not. As long as the charges are false, the visits are unwarranted, and your lawyer can help put a stop to them.
Disproving Neglect
If your children are happy, healthy, well-fed, clean, and free of physical signs of abuse, it is easy to disprove neglect. Charges against you may have been brought because of the requirements of someone's job (i.e., "mandate to report suspected abuse" is a real thing). As such, you only need to show that none of the accusations are true. Your lawyer can not only help you compile a file on everything you have ever done right as a parent, but collect evidence from doctors, dentists, teachers, and other professionals that show you are a loving, caring parent. You may also want to have your lawyer present for any in-home visits the social workers make, just as an added precaution.
