In Ohio the local county Children’s Services Agency is responsible for investigating complaints involving abuse, neglect and dependency with children. Abuse cases involve allegations of causing harm to a child, neglect cases involve allegations of mistreatment and failure to provide the proper care, and dependency cases typically involve allegations that the parent, through no fault of their own, needs the assistance of the Agency to assist with the child or children. If the complaints are substantiated the Agency will typically file a formal complaint in the county’s juvenile court. This can have serious consequences on a family, and may even lead to the permanent removal of children from their parents. Typically, the Agency will give parents certain objectives to meet to end their involvement, and to regain custody of the children.
If the Agency files a formal Complaint against a parent alleging abuse, neglect or dependency it is essential for the parent to have effective representation. An experienced attorney may be able to challenge whether or not the Complaint was filed with merit. If the Agency is asking for certain things from a parent that are impossible or inappropriate an experienced attorney can convince a judge to not include them as part of the case plan objectives, which will speed up the reunification process if the child has been removed.
Our attorneys have years of experience in handling these types of cases throughout Southwest Ohio and the Miami Valley. They have been effective at having various county agencies dismiss the complaints, having the Courts dismiss the complaints, tailor the case plans to what is realistic and reasonable given the circumstances, and negotiate the proper placement of the children if that is necessary until the family can get on their feet. Mr. Hooks has served as a Guardian ad Litem in Montgomery County Juvenile Court for several years. In that position he is responsible for investigating the allegations made by Children’s Services and determining whether there is any validity. If so, he makes recommendations to the Court as to what is appropriate in the best interest of the child. He has been a Guardian ad Litem in all types of high profile cases in Dayton, and the surrounding area and his experience serves our clients when they need representation in these cases.
There are few things that bring as much fear and apprehension as contested, child custody proceedings. This is the case whether the parents are married and the proceedings are happening in Domestic Relations Court or if they are unmarried and the proceedings are taking place in the Juvenile Court. The trial court determining which parent gets custody of the child or children looks at a number of factors. These proceedings can take a significant amount of time. In the meantime, there are short-term considerations that need to be worked out, including where the child will live until the case is decided and what the other parent’s visitation schedule will be. Inresolving the case the client needs to decide whether they wish to have legal custody of the child, seek to enter into a shared parenting arrangement with the other parent, and what type of visitation schedule is desired. These are just a few of the many considerations that need to be made.
Child support determinations can have a tremendous impact on a parent’s life and a child’s life. In Ohio there are guidelines that establish the support order based on the parents’ collective income, the custodial situation, daycare expense, healthcare expenses, and other miscellaneous expenses. An effective attorney will be able to obtain a favorable outcome in either modifying or establishing support based on actual income.
A child accused of committing a crime generally finds him or herself in juvenile court as a result of a filing for delinquency. Typically these cases are similar to the charge in adult court. There are some differences in procedure and how to defend these cases, however, and you should be sure to hire someone who is familiar with them.