Q: Is untreated lice a form of neglect?
Every time my children come with me, they are infested with lice. At what point can I get them help for this? I bring it up to the other parent and the excuses come rolling in on how they get it. The children have scabs in their heads from scratching. What can I do? This has been ongoing for years. But I have pictures and receipts going 3 years back that show I treat them every time they come.
A: Lice can play a role in getting a child removed from their parents for neglect. Lice is extremely easily spread, and many kids get lice from their classmates or friends at some point. Lice isn’t necessarily a sign of neglect in 99% of cases. On the other hand, lice is one issue that gets worse with time if it isn’t caught early and managed. Kids with severe cases of lice are often kids whose infestations have gone untreated for months. As far as CPS is concerned, that’s a child whose parents are not taking care of them properly. In other words: child neglect. So, it isn’t the lice that causes an issue all by itself, it’s the severity of the lice, which is used as an indicator of how well cared for a child is. Your best course of action is to continue to treat your children for lice every time that come to your home and to discuss the issue with the other parent frequently. If you are using Family Wizard for parental communications, all the better. If not, make sure you communicate frequently via email or text message so that there is written evidence that you at least are trying to treat and manage the infestation properly.
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