Aug 6, 2018 By: yunews
Daniel Pollack, professor at , has published a new article in Policy & Practice, the journal of the American Public Human Services Association.
In 鈥,鈥 Pollack explains that adults caring for children have a legal obligation to ensure their safety and that failing to protect them may result in the caregiver being charged with 鈥渃hild endangerment鈥 or 鈥渆ndangering the welfare of a child.鈥 Examples of child endangerment can include behaviors like driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle, leaving a child alone and unsupervised with available dangerous weapons or opting for spiritual healing rather than conventional medicine when a child鈥檚 life is in danger.
He also explains how child endangerment charges can be brought against a caretaker even if the behavior of the caretaker isn鈥檛 specifically directed at a child. He cites a case in which the Supreme Court of Nebraska upheld a father鈥檚 conviction of child endangerment even though he threatened the mother with harm but not the children. They ruled that the word 鈥渆ndangers鈥 also means 鈥渢o expose a minor child鈥檚 life or health to danger or the peril of probable harm or loss.鈥
Pollack counsels that 鈥渉uman services workers and others who believe they have encountered child endangerment, and individuals who have been charged with child endangerment, should seek the advice of an experienced attorney. The attorney should be able to discuss what options are available under the circumstances.鈥
