How Does Foster Care Abuse & Negligence Happen in Los Angeles?
The Child Protective Services division in California is supposed to intervene when there is a case of child abuse or neglect, which often results in that child being placed in foster care. However, the negligence of foster care agencies often results in even greater harm being inflicted on children after they are placed in a foster home with complete strangers.
If you or your loved one has been abused or neglected while in foster care, you may have legal options. Call or contact the Law Offices of Andrew Ritholz in Los Angeles today to schedule a consultation.
Common Mistakes in California Foster Care Placement
There are tens of thousands of children in the California foster care system, with 60,000 children on average in the system at any point in time. Nearly 40% are 5 years old or younger, and almost half of all foster children (46%) live in a foster home with strangers. Social workers that place and monitor the welfare of foster children are overworked and often required to keep track of hundreds or even thousands of individual cases at the same time. This easily leads to instances of abuse or neglect in foster homes going unnoticed and unreported.
Other common mistakes and negligence by foster care agencies and workers that lead to abuse and neglect of children include the following:
- Failure to report suspected abuse or neglect
- Delayed response to claims
- Failure to follow up on claims
- Failure to log claims and reports into the Child Protective Services system
- Failure to investigate credible reports of abuse
- Failure to involve law enforcement
- Placement of children with foster parents who cannot care for them because of physical or financial difficulties
- Failure to conduct background checks on foster parents and foster homes; and
- Violation of confidentiality laws when it comes to reporting abuse.
How a Foster Care Lawyer in Los Angeles Can Help
If you or a loved one in your family has been subjected to abuse or neglect in a foster situation, an experienced lawyer may be able to help you get the compensation you deserve for the harm caused by the foster care system. An attorney can hold the foster care system accountable by ensuring that they met their legal obligations in your case.
A foster care lawyer can:
- examine all of the documents and reports made in the case;
- talk to witnesses;
- ensure that a proper home study was completed prior to placement; and
- ensure that background checks were properly done before placing children in that home.
If the foster care system fails, an attorney can make sure that they are held responsible for their acts of negligence or omissions in the case. To learn more, talk to our office today.
Respected Foster Care Attorney in Los Angeles Metro Area
If you or someone that you know has been abused or neglected in the California foster care system, talk to the compassionate and zealous lawyers at the Law Offices of Andrew Ritholz in Los Angeles to learn more about your legal options.
