Tom ISPCAN

One of the most active areas of mental health studies these days is the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on long-term health. The term stems from a groundbreaking study from 1995-1997 by the Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Permanente Foundation. That study found that children who experience ACEs have increased risk of…

The next, and for many lawyers the most frightening, issue in deposing children is how to ask questions of children. Like many tasks, it is more frightening than difficult. Fortunately, many other people have faced this same problem, and many of them have written some very instructive manuals. Guidelines and Protocols My first recommendation always…

A strongly-worded opinion from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied qualified immunity to a police officer who forgot the difference between the law and his opinion of parenting decisions. Megan McMurry was a teacher in Midland, Texas, and her husband was deployed to the Middle East with the National Guard. Their 14-year-old daughter…

The next important policy for keeping children safe is supervising children and staff. Supervision policies include not only supervision during your program, but recognizing when you cannot supervise interactions. Supervision One highly important area for your child protection policy is being sure that you are always supervising the children in your care. Thus, rules about staff-student…

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania last week overturned the suspension of a student who posted violent song lyrics on his Snapchat account. The student was not on campus at the time, and he posted the lyrics from Snap! by the death metal band Spite. He did not identify the post as being from a song and…

I often find myself in a case opposing a party who has designated his or her or a child’s treating therapist as an expert witness on various forensic issues. This arrangement is rarely, if ever, a good idea. I understand the temptation to save money by hiring one person instead of two. But a treating…