Snellings Law PLLC attorneys are

Chidcare Injury Lawyers

Personal Injury Attorneys

Holding Texas childcare providers responsible for neglect and abuse of children

I grew up in a household where both parents worked. Therefore, I also grew up being dropped off at a daycare and then picked up at the end of the day. Unlike the schools our children attend, daycares do not have employees that spent their college education being trained to teach and care for children. These facilities operate very differently from the schools to which we send our children and many hazards can come into play because of that.

All children are vulnerable and we must protect them.

As parents, we look for childcare providers with a good reputation, solid reviews, and nice facilities. We visit the facility, watch how teachers interact with the children, and observe how happy the children appear. We do all of this in an attempt to protect our children since we cannot be there to do so. Sadly, sometimes our efforts simply aren’t enough and we end up choosing a childcare facility that does not measure up to our expectations, especially in terms of safety.

Download our FREE Guides. The first guide walks you through the steps of dealing with a daycare injury. The second guide is going to teach you what to watch for as you seek a new provider. 

Click the button below to learn more about the guides and how to download them!

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Child Injury at Summer camps

The same can also hold true for summer camps. We want to provide an amazing experience for our children and send them to popular or unique summer camps for them to learn, have fun, and meet other children. Whether this is a summer camp they attend on a day camp basis or a residential camp the child attends for a week or two during the summer, we all try to do our due diligence to investigate and determine whether our vulnerable children will be protected at the camp. Unfortunately, even with a thorough investigation, our children can still be injured due to neglect or abuse in summer camp settings.

child injury in foster care

We must also protect foster children. These children end up in our foster care system due to issues outside of their control, such as abuse, drug use, their parents’ inability to care for them, parental illness, or many other potential issues over which they have no control. The children that end up in this awful position of being separated from their parents are extremely vulnerable and at risk for neglect and abuse. These children are living with strangers while many of their parents are working diligently to reunite with them. Tragically, these children are often abused or neglected in their foster homes. Worse, there are a high number of foster children deaths while living under the state’s supervision and care.

Children are vulnerable. As adults, we must protect them and fight for their rights and needs to be heard and met. At Snellings Law, helping victims, both adults and children, is our sole focus.

Types of Childcare Injury:

Childcares can fail our children in many ways, including through abuse and neglect. These include: failure to supervise, safety code violations, caretaker negligence, physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, and sexual abuse.

Child Abuse Lawyers

The abuse cases that come to mind for most people are those situations where the teacher or care provider hits children. Actions such as slapping or physical discipline or punishment. Another type of abuse is unnecessary restraint. An example of this would be when a care giver holds the child down with his or her knees, feet or arms. In this situation the child cannot move for an extended time. 

Additional examples include: locking a child in a closet and turning off the lights, tying children down to keep them still. The examples go on and on. Other examples of abuse include body slamming children onto a mat or floor, pinching children, shaking children, or squeezing their arms, legs, torso with the caretaker’s hands or legs. Unfortunately, these forms of abuse can have painful and tragic consequences for the child both physically and emotionally. These child injuries must be addressed.

Neglect

The two most common types of neglect cases we see when it comes to childcare:

The caregiver forgets about the child and leaves them outside or inside alone. This is typically a checklist protocol failure. The caregiver fails to follow their head count protocol or checklist protocol and the child is left behind. Whether it is leaving for or returning from a walk, the playground, or a field trip, it can be very dangerous for a child to be left unattended. Unfortunately, we have seen child after child left outside for prolonged periods of time at various daycare institutions. This exposes the child to various weather conditions, lack of food and water, lack of restroom facilities, as well as the danger of vehicles or strangers. Failure to follow protocols can also lead to a child being left in a bus or van during extremely hot or cold weather. Losing track of a child is neglect.

Typically, you see separation anxiety, abandonment issues from a psychological perspective. Sometimes they’ll be injured. During the wintertime or rainy season, you’ll see them get a cold or sick. If the child has asthma or some sort of underlying medical condition that can be super dangerous. Kids with a medical condition or special needs will have a massive flareup and need medication. A diabetic child without food and water and hasn’t been given their diabetic medication because they were forgotten outside.  

Signs of Child Abuse and Neglect

Perhaps one of the most terrifying aspects of these abuse and neglect cases is that these issues can be ongoing and even diligent parents have no idea. Oftentimes, there will not be noticeable bruising or other physical signs for the parents to observe. Additionally, children are very susceptible to the caregiver’s threats of what will happen if they tell anyone. Without any visible signs of trauma and without the child speaking up, you can see how negligent and abusive behavior can go unnoticed. 

 

Special needs and non-communicative children are at high risk for abuse. They cannot report abuses and so they will often be abused more quickly than a child who does not face verbal difficulties. Add to this that these children can often test the patience of caregivers and it puts them at an even further increased risk.

Causes of Abuse in Daycares

There are many reasons that we see abuse and neglect in daycares. Oftentimes, the facilities will fail to hire enough caregivers and the classes are too large. Many daycare facilities fail to provide adequate training for their employees or even worse, no training. The managers and owners fail to adequately supervise the caregivers to make sure that they are following proper protocols and ensure they are not mistreating the children. Whatever the root cause, it is NEVER the child’s fault. These cases must be investigated and the at fault party must be held accountable.

Abuse in daycares

plan of action

How to Report Abuse

If you believe your child has been a victim of abuse, you must report it. The Department of Family and Protective Services (“DFPS”) will perform an independent investigation of the facility. Even though the daycare, summer camp, or foster agency may tell you they are reporting it, they are not required to report everything. You should always report any incident yourself regardless of whether the facility or organization has already reported it.

Phone: 1-800-252-5400 

Onlinehttp: Click here to go to the online Abuse Report form

Why you should consider contacting a Child Injury lawyer

After filing a report with DFPS, you should contact a childcare injury attorney for a consultation if your child has suffered an injury at a daycare or childcare facility, a summer camp or in foster care, including claims for failure to supervise, safety code violations, caretaker negligence, physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse.

Pursuing a Daycare Abuse Lawsuit

If your child has suffered at daycare, summer camp or in foster care due to someone’s failure to supervise, a safety code violation, caretaker negligence, physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse, you should contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your options.

Snellings Law Defends Children

At Snellings Law, our sole focus is personal injury law. No matter your age, we will stand with you and fight for you. Children are vulnerable and it is our responsibility to protect them and stand up for them. If your child has been injured at daycare, summer camp, in foster care or a similar type of program, contact us today. We will listen to your story and see how we can help you.

abuse at daycare

Frequently Asked Questions About Daycare Abuse & Child Injury

If your childcare provider has provided negligent care or abused your child, your case may present a valid cause of action against the childcare provider.

As soon as you suspect abuse or neglect at your daycare facility, summer camp or foster care provider, contact us for a consultation.

Seek medical care and emotional support for your child. Be sure to report the incident to the DFPS by clicking on the link above. You should also ask for a copy of any report generated by the daycare as well as ask to see video footage of the incident. You may also want to interview staff and other parents who might have witnessed or heard what happened.

Personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis. You pay no money up front. The fee for services is paid when the claim ends in a recovery. If there is no recovery, then no money is owed for fees and services.

Your child is hurting - we know you have more questions.

childcare injury

Download our FREE Guides. The first guide walks you through the steps of dealing with a daycare child injury. The second guide is going to teach you what to watch for as you seek a new provider. 

Click the button below to learn more about the guides and how to download them!

If your child has been injured at daycare, childcare, summer camp or in foster care, please call us today.

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