Family Law Newsletters

Assisted Care Facilities for Elderly Individuals

An assisted care facility is a facility for elderly people that provides housing with assistance to the elder person. In this environment an individual has an apartment-type area to reside in. The assisted living environment provides both an independent atmosphere for the elder person along with assistance when needed.

Bigamy

Bigamy is the act of marrying one person while legally married to another. Bigamy is a criminal offense when it is knowingly committed. Bigamy is the wilful contracting of a second marriage when the contracting party knows that the first is still subsisting; or it is the state of a man who has two wives, or of a woman who has two husbands living at the same time. The punishment of the offence varies by state.

Child Welfare Agencies' Potential Malpractice Liability for Improperly Detaining a Child in the Foster Care System

States have enacted laws requiring the filing of reports of suspected child abuse and neglect, and most states have specialized child protective agencies to investigate these reports. The organization of the agencies varies greatly from state to state. Child protective agencies should essentially perform the same functions.

Child Welfare Agencies' Potential Malpractice Liability for Inadequate or Inappropriate Foster Care Services

If a child welfare agency or caseworker determines that a child needs to be moved into protective custody, the agency's duty to that child is not discharged. The agency or caseworker has a continuing duty to ensure that the child is not mistreated in her foster care home.

Planning for a Disabled Child

There are many parents that have children with disabilities. It is important for those parents to plan for the care of their children when the parents are no longer living. Often times, when parental death occurs the responsibility of the disabled child falls on the siblings, other family members, or the community.