What action can a concerned parent take to investigate possible child abuse under CA child custody laws

If you suspect that your child is being abused at the hands of her father and you fail to take action to protect her, you run the risk of Child Protective Services, once they do become involved, turning their attention on you as well as a parent in need of counseling and guidance. In other words, they might want to remoive your child from your home as well. You need to address this issue with the court as soon as possible and ask the court to step in and modify or restrict your husband's contact with your daughter. If you are unable to afford an attorney to help you with this, and if you feel unable to handle it on your own, you should call Child Protective Services, who will see your behavior as being pro-active. Good luck.

Mr. Waller provided you with very sound advise. I am a criminal defense attorney who often deals with CPS and child custody issues as part of my criminal cases. If you file a complaint with CPS, they will conduct an investigation. The outcome of the investigation will be determined as either "substantiated" or 'unsubstantiated". If substantiated, they will take further action and may prevent him from seeing your child until there can be a resolution that ensures her safety during visits with her father. They may even turn the case over to the District Attorney's office for filing criminal charges of abuse. All of these actions will have a bearing on child custody issues, but those are issues that will be also need to be addressed in family court. You should definitely seek counsel from a competent family law attorney who can assist you in (at least) the process in family court if you seek to change the terms of custody. If the child's father is prosecuted, you may become a witness, and may have to testify in a criminal court. If you have evidence of abuse, you should try to take pictures and, above all, protect your child first!

Best regards,
Debra S. White