Putting Protections in Place
The safety of your child is of utmost importance to you as a parent. Making sure your child is in a safe environment can be difficult, especially if you share custody or if the other parent has regular parenting time. While you cannot interfere with custody or parenting time, you can take steps to ensure your child is always in a safe environment when with you or the other parent. Doing so is important because the state has an interest in your child’s safety. This means New Jersey’s child welfare agency, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) can become involved if your child is not safe.
Safety Gaps
Ensuring the safety of your child requires you to consider many factors. A good place to start is knowing where your child is at all times. When he or she is with the other parent, do you know where they are? Are you able to contact your child if needed? Does the other parent communicate about the time spent with your child? Does the other parent expose your child to other people, and do those other people act in your child’s best interests? To make sure you have proper protective measures in place, start with creating a solid parenting plan. A parenting plan outlines the custody arrangement for your child and includes a parenting time schedule and other provisions for raising your child, such as:
- Whether the visits will be supervised
- Who your child can be exposed to
- Who will care for your child, and
- How you can contact your child
It helps you protect your rights as a parent, and ensures you can take legal recourse if the other parent violates those rights.
It is equally important to ensure your child is safe in your home. When under the scrutiny of the DCP&P, it is vital you make sure your child is safe at all times. The DCP&P has the right to take your child away from you if your home is not safe. And, it is not uncommon for child welfare workers to make uninformed decisions about the placement of your child. No system is failsafe, and the New Jersey child welfare system has undergone recent reform to address inconsistencies and weaknesses. Because of this, I encourage you to speak with an experienced New Jersey child welfare attorney if you believe your child’s safety is questionable in your home or when with the other parent. You may need assistance when protecting your parental rights and your child’s safety.
Are you concerned about the safety of your child? If so, the Williams Law Group, LLC is here to help you put protections in place for your child. Located in Union, New Jersey, Williams Law Group, LLC provides compassionate and dedicated legal services to Union, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties, and the surrounding areas. Our knowledgeable attorneys handle divorce and family law, child custody, and child abuse/neglect cases. Call our office at (908) 810-1083, email us at info@awilliamslawgroup.com, or contact us through our confidential online form to schedule a consultation and ultimately get you connected with an experienced New Jersey divorce and child custody attorney.
