What can you do if you suspect someone of sexually molesting a child? My niece has been acting different since she's been seeing her Dad on the weekends. (joint custody) I don't want to go into the details of acting "different" but her Mom suspects her Dad of abuse. She has tried to get her checked out by a gynocologist for abuse but her doctor said she needed a note from the school counselor or something to check for that sort of thing. She just informed me whats been happening and she doesn't know what to do. Any legal channels like child protective services or something like that? I'm going to have to do something as soon as possible.
I don't really have any advice but something caught my attention in that.. the PARENT has to have a note from someone else to get their own child checked out...? Also I would think child protective services or anyone with the police could give you advice on what the proper steps are to follow...
thats something that stumped me too... I don't have any idea what their insurance covers or if thats the problem.
She should call CPS and have the child seen by a therapist who can attest to whether or not she shows the emotional signs of somebody who has been abused. That's not a legal opinion...just a logical thought.
I hope this wasn't meant to be rude. I was just asking for peoples advice about a tough situation that I have never been in. I thought maybe someone had expierence in the matter that could give me some advise.
No it wasn't. Sorry you took it that way. I am a lawyer and I have to let you know that my post wasn't legal advice. I have no real experience in this area and I was posting a guess as to what you should do. Please forgive my poor choice of words...it's late.
Just been sitting around, pondering what to do tomorrow and the stress is making me a little edgey. Thanks for your advice though, I really appreciate it.
I totally understand you being edgey. Don't worry about it. I would strongly suggest a professional counselor though. They're pretty good with this sort of thing. Sorry this has happened to your family.
Call Child Protective Services. He will be investigated and although CPS is almost a joke, all the proper documentation will be started. If you suspect abuse, you are obligated to inform the proper authorities. If he is investigated, whomever called (you) can not be revealed to him by law. If nothing is going on, nobody has anything to fear. If there is evidence of abuse, she should be removed from his unsupervised care. Start the ball rolling. If Mom won't do it, you do it. Prepare for a long wait on the phone to speak with someone. The investigation can take about a month. You will be given a case worker and a case #. My prayers are with you and your niece.
Of course this isn't true at all. There have been documented cases where parents/therapists want children to say they've been molested so much that the children create false "memories" to make the grown-ups happy. Not saying it's common, and the situation should still be investigated, but innocent people HAVE been hurt by false accusations of abuse before...
Personally, I would convince your sister to immediately schedule a doctor's visit. There is no reason not to do so. If it's not covered under insurance, so what? It seems a small price to pay for the well being of a child. Although it's better to err on the side of caution, regardless of what CPS may find, there will be a stigma attached to her father just for being investigated. If in doubt, go with CPS, but I would strongly encourage your sister to see a doctor first. If they're in or around Houston, drop me an email, I can give you the name of a child psychologist.
