by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Accusations of child abuse, even when false, can have a profound and harmful effect upon many aspects of a person’s life. For that reason, properly handling such false abuse accusations that are investigated by Iowa DHS or Illinois DCFS is of great importance.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Iowa DHS and Illinois DCFS workers are often in a hurry to speak with a person who is being investigated for child abuse or neglect. There is a reason for that rush, and it is not something that benefits justice or the person who is under investigation.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Foster parents are often the subject of child abuse investigations by DHS (in Iowa) or DCFS (in Illinois). Properly handing such an investigation is especially important.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Under Iowa law, for a person to be accused of being a perpetrator of child abuse must be a person responsible for the care of a child. A person responsible for the care of a child is defined in Iowa Code 232.68 as follows:
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Iowa DHS investigates situations where a person is accused of allowing a registered sex offender to have certain access to a child:
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear The Illinois crime of Endangering the Life or Health of a Child is defined in 720 ILCS 5/12C-5 as follows:
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear A person who is charged with a crime relating to child abuse will often find themselves also facing a DHS or DCFS child abuse report, a custody case, and/or a juvenile abuse/neglect case.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear When the Iowa juvenile court takes action against a parent’s rights, that parent can appeal. Child in need of assistance (CINA) appeals in Iowa are governed by the Iowa Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Rules on Electronic Document Management System, which are the electronic filing of court documents. Because appeals are time sensitive and have specific requirements, it is highly advisable
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In divorce, custody, and juvenile cases in the states of Illinois and Iowa, a Guardian ad litem can be appointed by the court to represent the legal interests of a minor child in the case. This article will discuss the role of a Guardian ad litem in
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear The crimes commonly called “child abuse” or “child neglect” in Iowa are formally called “child endangerment. In Iowa, the crime of Child Endangerment is defined
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In Illinois, the Department of Children and Family Services is the state agency that handles the investigation of child abuse and child neglect accusations. In situations where the DCFS worker assigned to the case believes that child abuse or neglect has occurred, a “founded” report will be produced. In some cases, such a founded report will result in a person being added to Illinois’ child abuse database, called the State Central Register, which can have significant negative
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In Iowa, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is responsible for investigating child abuse and neglect allegations. Those who are found by Iowa DHS to have abused or neglected a child
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In cases where a child’s safety or well-being (physical or emotional) would be endangered by regular visitation with a parent, the courts in Iowa and Illinois have the authority to order that visitation be supervised by a