When Domestic Violence Turns On The Kids: What You Should Do NOW
Some people stay in physically abusive relationships because they sadly believe that there is no alternative. There is. There are plenty of places you can go, help that is offered to battered spouses, and financial support programs that can help. If you choose not to leave, it may not be long before your assailant turns on your children. Studies have found that batterers are more likely to turn on their children and beat them. If you do not leave your battering significant other and he/she turns on the children before you act, here is what you need to do NOW.
Take the Kids and LEAVE
Find the right time to take the kids and leave the home. This may be difficult to do given your partner's work schedule (or lack thereof) and the children attending school. If you cannot leave undetected, shut yourself and the kids behind a locked door, and call the police. When the police arrive, file a report and request that you and the children be given safe shelter. The police will comply given what has transgressed. The child or children that have been hit will need to go to the hospital first, and CPS is likely to get involved because a child was hurt.
Hire a Domestic Violence Attorney in Your City/State
Things may not bode well for you if a CPS worker discovers that you stayed with a batterer and the batterer hurt the kids. Hire a domestic violence attorney right away. Refuse to speak to CPS workers until you have secured an attorney and the attorney has agreed to meet with you and the CPS worker. This approach will reduce the time you may be separated from your children as well as any additional trauma from this incident that you and your kids may suffer.
File Charges Against Your Batterer
Your case will not go well unless you are willing to file charges against your batterer. It is a hard truth that batterers are often unrelenting in their pursuit of their victims, and some batterers will go to great lengths to make sure they do not appear in court for anything. Filing criminal charges against this person helps your case because then your lawyer can point to documentation that your significant other (hopefully now your ex!) is a violent and dangerous person. It will determine where your children stay and who gets to see them, as well as any compensation you and the children may be entitled to.
