Legal Issues

Families need special information when dealing with the legal system.

Important References

Child Dependency Benchbook

Provides support to inform judges and attorneys about children’s needs.
Provides support to address children’s developmental issues in the context of court proceedings.
Provides support to address questions from parents and professionals.

Protocol in juvenile committment for psychiatric hospitalization

Provides support to address psychiatric hospitalization for children and their families.
Provides support to address the needs of children with mental illness and their treatment.
Provides support to address questions from parents and professionals about psychiatric admissions.

Incarcerated Youth Needing Mental Health Care

Without access to treatment, some youth with serious mental disorders are placed in detention without any criminal charges pending against them.

Children’s time: the real issue in grandparents’ rights case

by Dahlia Lithwick FindLaw Contributor Special to CNN Interactive June 23, 2000 Web posted at: 12:20 p.m. EST (1620 GMT) (FindLaw) -- Much of the commentary about Troxel v. Granville -- the so-called grandparents' rights case decided in the Supreme Court in June --...

America’s Child Death Shame

Published: 17 October 2011 Last updated at 07:35 ET, BBC © 2011 "Every five hours a child dies from abuse or neglect in the US. The latest government figures show an estimated 1,770 children were killed as a result of maltreatment in 2009. A recent congressional...

Discipline Disputes

Continued behavior problems often indicate that a child’s program is not appropriate. If parents suspect that behavior problems are preventing their child from succeeding at school, they should write to the principal and request an IEP Team Meeting or “Pre-Hearing Conference.”

AD/HD under IDEA

What You Need To Know About AD/HD Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (By Matthew Cohen, JD)

Diabetes Issues in the School and Classroom

Insulin pumps and classroom finger stick testing have improved treatment, yet schools often are hesitant or have concerns regarding their use. These documents go a long way toward addressing school issues and allowing student’s independence.

WHAT IS A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY EVALUATION (MDE) OR SCHOOL EVALUATION?

A MDE is used to find out if a youngster needs or continues to need special education, and, if so, the types of services the child should receive.

Sexual Abuse Evaluation

The evaluation of child sexual abuse is to determine whether abuse has occurred and if the child needs treatment for medical or emotional problems. The evaluator and the child’s or adolescent’s therapist should be two different individuals.

Shared Parenting: The New Frontier

A shared parenting arrangement is defined as involving at least 30 percent of the time with each parent, the incidence of shared care among divorced couples increased from 2.2 percent to 14.2 percent between 1980 and 1992. By 2001, it had reached 32 percent.