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Child custody laws can apply to daycare workers

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Thursday, August 30, 2018.

One Missouri mother recently found herself living a nightmare when she arrived to pick her daughter up from daycare. Instead of discussing the day’s events, and finding her child happy and ready to go home, she was horrified to find the daycare locked and empty. Fortunately, she found her daughter on a bench outside and learned afterward that action may be taken, because some child custody laws can apply to daycare providers.

Though the daycare was apologetic for somehow forgetting the small child, the Missouri mother was angry. Leaving a helpless child unattended is dangerous and against the law. She feels fortunate that no physical harm came to her child, but the shocking circumstances have prompted her to consider legal action.

Child custody laws state that anyone who is responsible for providing care for a child — parent or not — cannot be negligent or inattentive. Leaving a small child unsupervised poses a serious risk to a child. Even in cases where a parent leaves a child alone, he or she risks being charged with a crime. Local police and the Department of Social Services are taking the situation very seriously, and the investigation has so far led to the firing of at least one employee of the daycare.

Child custody, especially for single parents, can feel like an overwhelming issue. Sometimes, a parent may feel as if he or she needs help enforcing, modifying or establishing a child custody order. In many cases, an experienced attorney may be able to assist a parent with a variety of child custody issues.

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