Hopefully you will never be the subject of a child abuse investigation. However, if you are here are some tips to follow with regard to what you should do, how you should handle yourself and what you should say and what you should not say.
No matter how ridiculous and obviously untrue the allegations are, Take them seriously
A child abuse investigator may come to your house with absurd allegations. These allegations could not possibly be true. However, understand this, the child abuse investigator has to take all allegations of child abuse or child neglect seriously. The law requires them to presume you are guilty of whatever you are accused of until the investigation proves otherwise.
Ask the investigator what you are accused of doing
If the investigator refuses to tell you what the allegations are, indicate you are entitled to know why you are being investigated. Ask the investigator his or her name, phone number, e-mail, the name, phone number and e-mail of their supervisors. Write this information down! If the investigator does not want to tell you the specifics of the allegations against you, ask them for a generalization of the allegations against you.
Be careful what you say
As indicated earlier, the investigator presumes you are guilty until proven that you are not guilty. The purpose of their interview is to establish you are guilty, not that you are innocent. Tell the investigator you wish to contact your attorney and schedule a meeting with your attorney present. The investigator may tell you you are not entitled to have an attorney for this type of investigation. That is not true. You are entitled to have an attorney present at all aspects of investigations. Be very careful. The investigators will often try to twist your words. Therefore, it is better that you say very little to them without first meeting with your attorney and discussing the circumstances and events related to these allegations.
Hire an attorney who has extensive experience in CPS and/or ACS Investigations
If you are being investigated for child abuse or child neglect it is extremely important to hire a competent attorney. You need to use due diligence to find an attorney who specifically handles these type of investigations. Some attorneys may on rare occasions handle matters with regard to CPS and ACS investigations. You don’t want to hire these lawyers. You should hire a law firm that has extensive experience in representing clients in dealing with CPS or ACS and works with families regarding ACS and CPS investigations on virtually a daily basis.
Elliot S. Schlissel, Esq. is the managing partner of Schlissel DeCorpo LLP. He has been practicing law for 42 years. Elliot, his partner Nathan DeCorpo, and their associates represent individuals in child abuse and child neglect investigations throughout the Metropolitan New York area. The law firm has been involved in handling these cases for more than 45 years. Elliot, Nathan and their associates have extensive experience dealing with scores of cases and successfully defending their clients regarding allegations of child abuse and child neglect. Elliot and Nathan can be reached at 800-344-6431 or e-mail Elliot at Elliot@sdnylaw.com or Nathan at Ndecorpo@sdnylaw.com.
