Texas Child Care and Daycare Abuse Attorneys | Suspected Sexual Abuse

As a parent, the safety and well-being of your child is always your top priority. That’s why choosing the right daycare is so important. Parents in Texas need to know their children are well protected when they’re away.

Most licensed child care centers in the state are places of laughter and learning. Unfortunately, some are sites of sexual abuse. Too often, the very same people paid to protect children are the ones committing the worst crimes against them.

Last year alone, there were over 1,000 investigations into abuse in Texas daycares. If your child is one of those victims, the child abuse attorneys at Carabin Shaw are here for you.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 60,000 children are sexually abused every year. Last year, Texas accounted for 7,000 of those cases, with a significant number happening at daycare.

A child care provider is classified as any place that cares for two or more children outside of the home, such as a nursery, daycare center, church, or after-school program. There are currently over 780,000 licensed facilities in Texas.

In 2020, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services investigated over 1,300 of those providers after reports of child abuse and negligence. The DFPS validated around 300 reports, with one-fifth of all cases involving sexual abuse.

Our child injury lawyers in Texas believe even a single case of daycare sexual abuse is tragic. Over 60 is unacceptable.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice study, the most common form of sexual abuse in daycare is inappropriate touching or fondling by an employee, the signs of which aren’t always obvious. Physical signs such as redness or bruising in sensitive areas can occur but are rare.

The most common signs are emotional and behavioral. They most often include anxiety and depression, trouble sleeping, fear of going to daycare, use of mature sexual language, and reverting to outgrown behaviors such as thumb sucking or bedwetting.

If you suspect your child is the victim of daycare abuse, file a report with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The DFPS has a 24/7 hotline and an online form, both of which make reporting fast and simple.

If you believe that your child is in immediate danger of further abuse, you should also call the police.

Once you’ve filed a report, call one of our Texas child care and daycare abuse attorneys. Child abuse laws vary by state, so our local lawyers are the most qualified to give you the information you need as you seek justice for your family.

The long-term effects of child sexual abuse can include anxiety, depression, academic problems, sleep disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, and more. Fortunately, all of these symptoms can be treated through trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Our Texas child sexual abuse attorneys will fight for the compensation you need to pay for that treatment, as well as for your family’s pain and suffering.

To have a successful lawsuit, an attorney will need to establish five things:

• The daycare had a duty to keep your child safe
• The daycare violated their duty
• The daycare’s violation of duty resulted in your child’s injury
• The injury was foreseeable and preventable by the daycare
• You have proof of damages

A simple accident case may have trouble establishing all of these, but a verified case of sexual abuse generally checks all five boxes easily.

If your child is a victim of sexual abuse in daycare, our child abuse attorneys at Carabin Shaw are ready to fight for justice on behalf of your family. Call us toll-free at 800-862-1260. We have English and Spanish-speaking staff available 24/7 to schedule a free initial consultation.