Emotional Abuse (WIC 300(c))
Parental Inaction and Mental Health Care Under WIC 300(c)
Yes. In California, a parent's failure or inability to get a child needed mental health treatment can support an emotional damage allegation under WIC 300(c) (In re Shelley J. (1998) 68 Cal.App.4th 322).
This usually comes up when a school, doctor or therapist has recommended services and the family hasn't followed through. In my experience, the reasons almost always matter. These situations are very different from a parent ignoring a serious problem:
- Long waitlists for child therapists
- Insurance denials
- Transportation or work-schedule problems
- A child who refuses to go
The key is documentation. Keep a record of every effort you make: calls to providers, insurance appeals, appointments scheduled and missed, and school meetings. If you disagree with a recommendation, get a second opinion rather than doing nothing. A parent who can show steady effort is in a very different position from one who can't.
Showing active engagement in your child's care is one of the strongest answers to this kind of allegation.
Related reading: [when delay in getting help becomes neglect](link to Post 10).
If CPS is questioning your child's mental health care, call me at (855) 472-7368 for a free consultation.