When you can’t watch your child because you have work or other commitments, it’s likely you’ll choose to send your child to daycare. It can be hard to find the right facility to trust with the care of your child even though there are regulations to ensure proper care. Daycare centers in Kentucky fall under legislation that requires them to be safe for children and treated properly.
Unfortunately, not all facilities follow those rules and regulations. In 2018, 50 children were found to be abused or neglected in Kentucky daycare facilities. While that might sound like a small number compared to the over 30,000 children in daycare in our state, even one instance of abuse or neglect is too many.
When a daycare facility breaks your trust and neglects or abuses your child, you don’t have to sit idly by. After reporting it to the proper entities, you can file a personal injury claim against the facility for their mistreatment of your child. No one should have to endure mistreatment, and you deserve justice for your child, and Golden Law Office is here to help you get that justice.
Steps to Report Childcare Neglect in Kentucky
When you suspect that your child is being neglected in their daycare facility, you might feel confused about how to report the abuse. If you never considered this would happen, it’s likely you don’t know the steps to take to ensure that the improper care is fully investigated and the people who were mistreating your child, and possibly others, are charged accordingly.
Your first step should be reporting the suspected neglect to the supervisor or person in charge of the daycare facility. The neglect might be going unnoticed and reporting to higher-ups at the facility could fix the problem and remove that negligent staff member from the facility. If nothing is done, though, then you should move on to taking more serious action.
Your next step would be calling the statewide reporting agency who handles health and safety violations. Although Kentucky doesn’t have a statewide number for reporting suspected abuse or neglect from a childcare facility, there are regional numbers that you can call to report the abuse. Since Lexington is in Fayette county, we are considered to be in the Eastern Region, and would call that hotline for reporting abuse.
According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, there is some information you should include in your report. When you file a report, you’ll want to include:
- The child’s name, sex, and approximate age
- The name of the person you suspect to be responsible for the abuse
- Description of the injury and what harmed the child, like neglect
- The child’s current location and if they’re in immediate danger
- If comfortable, also your name and information as the reporter
It’s important to note, that if you suspect your child is in immediate danger, you should call 911.
After filing a report, you could benefit from seeking legal representation. A Lexington personal injury lawyer from Golden Law Office can provide you with the legal support that you need through this difficult time. We understand how hard it can be for your child and family to go through an incident like this, and we will handle your case with the care and sensitivity you need.
State Childcare Regulations
It’s important to know what qualifies as mistreatment according to Kentucky code. A childcare facility is in violation of Kentucky legislation if they:
- Put a child at risk for injury or death
- Injure the child
- Fail to do a background check on an employee
- Fail to remove an employee with an offense
- Use restricted punishment measures
- Falsify records
- Act outside of their license
Neglect would fall under the first offense, and potentially others depending on the situation of the abuse. No child deserves to be treated that way. That’s why it’s important to report suspected neglect or abuse as soon as you see signs of it happening.
We Will Support You Through Your Claim
It can feel intimidating to go up against the daycare that mistreated or injured your child. That’s why it helps to have Golden Law Office on your side. We will fully investigate your claim so we know the full situation and can take proper action against the daycare that harmed your child. By filing a claim against the daycare, you can ensure that other children will not have to endure neglect like your child did. Reach out to our office today so we can guide you through the claims process.
