Q: What constitutes as child abuse, and what sorts of things would cause there to be a need for interference?
If a parent were to do/say things that caused their child to try and take their own life, not cater to their mental needs, ignore certain diagnoses, lock the fridge at night and frequently forget to unlock it, and occasionally behave violently towards said child, would such things be considered child abuse/neglect? If so, what outside actions would most likely be taken if such a thing was reported?
A:
In Florida, it is considered child abuse if:
-A person intentionally inflicts physical or mental injury upon a child.
-A person intentionally makes actions that could result in physical or mental injury to a child.
-A person encourages someone to commit an act that causes or is reasonably likely to cause physical or mental harm to a child.
Child neglect is:
-Failure to provide a child with efforts to maintain the child’s physical and mental health with such things as food, nutrition, clothing, shelter, supervision, medicine, medical services, and things that are essential for the well-being of the child.
-Failure to protect a child from another person's abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
You should report abuse/neglect to the DCF. It is every citizen's to protect the children.
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