Who Should I Contact About Daycare Abuse in Southlake?

What Are the Different Types of Abuse that Southlake Parents Should Know About?

The notion of a caregiver intentionally harming your child is devastating. If a Southlake daycare center betrays your trust, recognizing the type of abuse is the first step toward getting justice.

Here are the common forms of abuse we see when unqualified caregivers fail to protect children:

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse, also known as psychological abuse, happens when a caregiver intentionally harms your child’s emotional well-being, either verbally or non-verbally. This often looks like caregivers constantly ignoring, belittling, or invalidating your child’s feelings. Signs that your child may have been emotionally abused include the following:

Constantly feeling scared, nervous, or on edge

Showing sudden and extreme clinginess to you or another family member

Withdrawing from activities that your child typically enjoys

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse happens when your child is seriously injured at the hands of a staff member. This typically occurs when untrained caregivers handle children roughly (such as hitting, kicking, or slapping a child) or use harmful discipline methods. Look for the following signs of physical abuse:

Unexplained bruises, marks, or other injuries on their body

Regressive behavior, like potty-trained children starting to have accidents

Trouble sleeping during naptime or at night

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse is when any sexual behavior or activity is inflicted on a child. This may include touching, fondling, showing inappropriate pictures or videos, or intercourse. Signs that your child may have been sexually abused include but are not limited to:

Injuries to the genital area (including urinary tract infections, yeast infections, or sexually transmitted diseases)

Sudden behavioral changes, such as aggression or an unusual interest in sexual activities

Difficulty when walking, sitting, or playing

Who Should I Contact About Daycare Center Abuse in Southlake?

1. Contact the Southlake Police Department

Any form of abuse against a child is a crime. Contact the Southlake police at 817-743-4522 or call 911 if you suspect your child was abused in any way at a local daycare center. Reporting allows the Southlake Police Department to initiate an investigation to protect your child and the Southlake community.

2. File a report with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)

You can also call the abuse hotline at 800-252-5400. Calling DFPS triggers an investigation into the case within 24 hours. This is ideal when reporting abuse for children younger than 5 or in cases involving child sexual abuse. It’s important to know that all reports to the DFPS are anonymous and will be investigated.

3. Call our daycare and child injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm

Navigating a traumatic incident such as child abuse at a local daycare center can be overwhelming, which is why hiring an attorney is crucial. Our compassionate daycare injury lawyers are here to listen, guide, and protect your family during this time. Call us at 214-699-4409, email us at intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation.

By reporting suspected abuse at a Southlake daycare center, you’re taking the necessary action to hold the negligent daycare center accountable and protect your child and others in the community.

What Information Will I Need to Provide When Reporting Suspected Daycare Abuse in Southlake?

When you contact the Southlake police department and DFPS, they will most likely ask you for the following information:

Your name and contact information
Your relationship to the child
A brief description of the daycare incident (including the date it happened, your child’s injuries, and any medical care they received afterward)
The name and address of the Southlake daycare center
The name of the caregiver, staff, or director that you suspect is responsible for your child’s abuse

How Long Do I Have to Hold a Southlake Daycare Accountable for Child Abuse?

The state of Texas has a strict deadline, known as the statute of limitations, for filing a civil lawsuit against a negligent daycare. For most cases, this deadline is exactly two years from the date your child was harmed.

This two-year window gives you time to file a lawsuit and potentially recover damages for expenses, including medical bills, and for trauma inflicted upon your child. We understand that two years may seem like plenty of time, but it is incredibly important not to wait too long before acting. When you contact our experienced daycare injury lawyers early, we can step in fast to preserve crucial evidence and build a strong case to get your family justice.

More Free Resources to Help You After a Daycare Center Abuse Incident

Our daycare injury lawyers have created additional articles to help you and your family after suspecting child abuse in a local daycare:

Contact The Button Law Firm if Your Child Was Abused at a Southlake Daycare Center

If you believe your child was abused at a daycare center in Southlake, we want to help. We are ready to fight for your family and help you move forward after a traumatic abuse incident. Our daycare injury lawyers are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a child injury. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Contact us by calling 214-699-4409, emailing intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or filling out this contact form for a free case evaluation today.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Texas Daycare Abuse Attorney Today

If you or someone you know has a child who was harmed by their daycare teacher, contact our firm. We know how difficult getting through this can be. Our experienced team wants to help guide you – as we have helped guide many parents and families within Midland, Houston, Dallas, and the surrounding areas.

You can give us a call at (214) 699-4409 or email us at intake@buttonlawfirm.com. You can also reach out to us by filling out the form below or by starting a chat with a member of our team.

A Parent’s Guide to Reporting Suspected Child Abuse at a Southlake Daycare Center