"Do I need an Attorney if I'm am contacted by CPS about my child in Indiana?"
Each year Indiana Child Protective Services receives and investigates thousands of calls about suspected child abuse or neglect from a host of individuals ranging from doctors to teachers to counselors. Their job is to investigate and, if necessary, file a request for a Child in Need of Services case to be prosecuted. Many parents wonder when and if they should ... Read More
04
Jan2017
07
Jul2016
All issues involving child custody and child support have significant social, political, economic and psychological dynamics operating within the legal system and controlling laws. Two key policies that support the law is to maintain the child with a style of living as if the parents were married and meet the child’s best interests.
In the very broad area, this blog post explores three trends that are slowly changing domestic law across the country: joint custody, child support ending at age 18, and third parties ... Read More
15
Oct2015
Daily news stories and life experiences demonstrate to us all that third parties, such as neighbors, friends, and grandparents are helping more and more to raise children. Sometimes disputes like divorce causes such third parties to be removed from a care-giving role that they want to continue and perhaps the children need for security and stability. This blog post explores this topic.
Third parties always have one big legal hurdle to overcome, although many have done so in Indiana and other states. This is a parent’s fundamental ... Read More
17
Feb2015
In the past 40 years, the number us U.S. Children living in a grandparents home and being cared for by grandparents had more than doubled.1 This does number does not include the significant numbers of children being reared by friends and other family. With infants and toddlers, the caretaker may become the child’s primary attachment.
However, parents, even ones who effectively abandon his/her child and come back later, have a fundamental right under the United States Constitution to raise their children and seek their return. Under present Indiana law, a grandparent ... Read More
05
Jun2014
According the Census Bureau, in 2009, 7.8 million children lived with at least one grandparent, a 64% increase since 1991, when 4.7 million children lived with a grandparent1. While the census only addresses grandparents raising their grandchildren, this is a strong indicator of trends in society wherein more third parties (grandparents, aunts/uncles, friends, etc.) are raising the children of other people. When these situations present themselves, there are many legal issues that need to be addressed.
First, as a general rule, there is a strong ... Read More