When you’ve been fired unfairly, you’ll find at least one person who encourages you to sue your previous employer. However, most of the time, the idea seems like wishful thinking. Going through the discovery period, planning for court dates, and presenting your injustice is a lengthy process — one that can keep court cases active for years.
Something feels off about this Halloween in your neighborhood. The usual houses have displays, but the creepiness has increased ten-fold from last year…or so it seems. Does that scarecrow look hauntingly similar to the old man who lives down the block? Perhaps it’s all in your imagination, but stranger things have happened in the court of law!
Every young soul deserves a fighting chance in this world. Whether you grew up in poverty or wealth, love is the binding string that keeps the family together. But not everyone was given a caring, compassionate family. Many children hear, witness, and experience abuse within their own home, yet are powerless to do anything to stop it.
It took one horrific case of child abuse and neglect for lawmakers to look closely at Arkansas’ Department for Child and Family Services. In a random sample for 2023-2024, 138 out of 140 cases did not follow state guidelines for child abuse investigations.
To put it simply, the government found errors with all of the investigations they sampled except TWO. The Mountain Home, Arkansas child abuse case, where police discovered a severely neglected teenager, was just the tip of the iceberg; the subsequent audit uncovered more shocking information about the oversights and failures of the Arkansas’ Division of Children and Family Services.
29 complaints to Arkansas’ Division of Children and Family Services over 11 years. That's how many pleas for help went unanswered, uninvestigated, or otherwise dismissed for one young man’s well-being and safety in his household.
Even still, after at least 2 or more complaints a year over an 11 year period, the Arkansas’ Division of Children and Family Services did not save him from his abuse. Left naked in a locked bathroom with no food and a pallet to sleep on, the 15 year old teenager cried for help and one fateful day, law enforcement heard his cries and entered the dwelling to investigate.
Upon seeing the apparent abuse and neglect, the young man was promptly removed from his mother and stepfather’s custody on November 2nd, 2024. They were arrested and charged with abuse of a minor, endangering a minor, false imprisonment, and first-degree kidnapping.
When the Mountain Home abuse hit state news, everyone was left wondering how many other Arkansas children fell through the cracks. The federal government stepped in to audit the Arkansas’ Division of Children and Family Services, reviewing their case files from 2023 to 2024.
Their findings, released recently, signify a serious need for reform, as nearly 99% of cases were found to be lacking in screening, assessment, or investigative techniques to determine abuse.
When a mandated reporter makes a call to the Department of Children and Family Services, the investigation should begin immediately. Within the first 24 to 72 hours, an investigator will be assigned to the case and determine if the report is valid, warranting family interviews.
That’s if the reported abuse meets the criteria for investigation. The hotline operator may decide there is insufficient evidence and no clear indication of abuse, in which they inform the reporter that their report will be “filtered out.”
So when an 11 year old reported being raped at the age of 6, the call was never investigated because the hotline operator determined that the child was too young to understand the word “rape” and therefore filtered out the report.
How many other children risked their well-being and safety to report abuse to a trusted adult, mandated reporter, or hotline operator, just to be “filtered out” without a formal investigation? Worse than that, how many young people remain neglected and imprisoned, like the Mountain Home teenager, currently? The mishandled cases from 2023-2024 are only receiving attention now because of the federal audit findings.
Domestic abuse leaves permanent, emotional burdens on all of its victims — children, marriages, family ties — no one escapes unscathed. But the sooner a victim leaves, the brighter their future becomes.
If you faced domestic abuse by the hands of loved ones, you deserve peace. Contact the attorney team at Hickey & Hull today and find out if you have any legal recourse against your abuser. Start chatting with our online agent now and book your initial consultation today!
You’ve found what seems to be the perfect home. Spacious yard, ample square footage, beautiful architecture inside and out, reasonable pricing — it’s almost too good to be true. Why hasn’t anyone snatched this pristine property?
When the world first became aware of the Covid-19 pandemic, no one could have predicted the long-lasting effects it would have on younger minds. Days turned into months of learning through video chats, which was the best teachers could do at the time.
There's never a perfect time for divorce…especially for couples with children. From young to old, infants to teenagers, experiencing your parents splitting up is a life-changing moment. Love doesn’t always conquer all, which is a difficult concept to explain to kids.
But maintaining a loveless marriage can be detrimental to a family’s entire future. In 20 years, you could see your child making the same mistakes with their spouse, knowing that they are modeling the same toxic relationship you faced.
So while there is not a good time to divorce, with preparation and planning, you can help your children cope with the change and create a positive, loving environment.
You’ve realized divorce inevitable, but the toughest part will be breaking the news to your children. They are about to be hit with a whirlwind of change: dividing their family home and lives between two living spaces. Financial circumstances for each household will be different, as you’ll be on a stricter budget with one income instead of two.
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Unsurprisingly, the act of divorce takes a tremendous amount of effort. Many couples use the summer vacation to experience once-in-a-lifetime family memories, knowing that the end of their relationship is near.
There are two notable yearly rises in divorce rates, one in March, and one following the summer season. Both of these increases happen at times where married couples are returning back to normalcy after the fun, expensive seasons (summer and winter holidays). But back-to-school season has a perk that March does not: scheduling expectations.
Children of all ages thrive on routine, so many parents find the best time to discuss divorce is when they are preparing a new routine for the upcoming school year. The first day of school forms, transportation information, approved pick ups and drop offs will need to reflect your current living situation.
Think about it like this: a child rides the bus at mom’s house, but dad drives to school during his custody time. Establishing this bus route in the beginning of the school year is easy, but after the routes have already been formed and school has started, changing a bus schedule is a headache.
People might advise couples to “stay together for the kids,” but when children are witnessing emotional turmoil and distress in the family home, the damage can be everlasting. Research shows that people who witnessed interparental conflict indicated their quality of life felt low.
Various studies support this claim and even the most resilient children of divorce report experiencing lingering emotional pain when their divorced parents were in the same space for an event (like graduation). But with proper support during the divorce process and level-heads, your children can flourish and beat the statistics.
While there’s no perfect time for divorce, many parents choose to tell their children around back-to-school season. As they adjust to a new home life, children can settle into their familiar school routine with their peers, making the transition smoother for everyone involved.
Roughly 40% of first marriages will end in divorce. That’s okay! Being a piece of that statistic doesn’t make you a failure, rather, it is a symbol that you are building a better life for yourself and your offspring.
Let Hickey & Hull help you during this difficult time. Speaking with our legal professionals is quick and easy, just click here to chat with our online agent and book your initial consultation today. We’ll help you build a bright future for your single-parent household, so your children can thrive.
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