Waco Child Abuse Lawyer

If you are charged with any type of child abuse, you may find yourself facing the risk of severe penalties. Reaching out to a Waco child abuse lawyer is in your best interests.

An experienced defense attorney could help explain your charges, evaluate your case, and develop a strategy that may result in dropped charges or lowered penalties. Call The Greening Law Group today for more information.

Actions or Situations that Could Be Considered Abusive to Children

Texas Family Code Annotated § 261.001 lists a number of actions that are considered to be child abuse. The following are a few examples from this list:

• Mental or emotional injury to a child that impairs their growth, development, or psychological functioning;
• Physical injury that results in substantial harm to a child or the genuine threat of substantial harm;
• Failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent an action by another person that results in substantial harm to a child;
• Sexual conduct harmful to a child’s mental, emotional, or physical welfare;
• Knowingly causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing a child to be photographed, filmed, or depicted in an obscene way; and
• Causing, expressly permitting, or encouraging a child to use a controlled substance.

If you are uncertain about the nature of your charges, talk to a Waco child abuse attorney. Sometimes, accidents or reasonable disciplinary acts are misinterpreted as abuse. Talking to a knowledgeable lawyer should be your next step.

Actions or Situations that Could be Considered Child Neglect

Child neglect happens when someone who is responsible for a child’s welfare blatantly disregards the consequences of an action that results in harm to the child or creates an immediate danger to the child’s health or safety. Failing to seek medical care for an injured child would be a situation of neglect. Failing to provide basic food and shelter to a child is another example of neglect.

Only adults who are responsible for the child’s care, custody, or welfare can be convicted of child neglect. These adults may include parents, people living in the same household as the child, school teachers and staff, and those who work at a childcare facility. When you have been charged with child neglect in Waco, allow a lawyer to evaluate your case.

A Responsibility to Report Child Abuse

Adults who suspect that a child is being abused or neglected have a responsibility to report this abuse to a local authority. In fact, certain professionals need to report the abuse within 48 hours, or they could face charges that could be classified as a class A misdemeanor or escalated to a felony under certain conditions.

The professionals who are required by law to report child abuse or neglect include the following:

• Teachers;
• Doctors;
• Nurses;
• Daycare employees;
• Clinic or health care facility employees providing reproductive services; and
• Juvenile probation, detention, or correctional officers.

When you are being charged with a failure to report child abuse, our child abuse lawyers in Waco could work to help clear your name or reduce the charges.

Schedule a Case Evaluation With a Child Abuse Attorney in Waco

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or daycare employee facing child abuse or neglect charges, you can count on a Waco child abuse lawyer to work in your best interests.

We understand the complex laws surrounding child abuse in Texas, and we can evaluate your case and legally defend you. Contact us today. Our reliable criminal defense attorneys work hard to win, whether in the courtroom or in life.