Practice standards for parents' attorneys in abuse and neglect cases

Abstract

In abuse and neglect proceedings in South Carolina Family Court, a parent's fundamental liberty interest in the care and custody of his or her child(ren) is at stake. The State, through its exercise of parens patriae, charges parents with being inadequate in the rearing of children and threatens a deprivation of both liberty and property. These standards aim to provide guidance to counsel in abuse and neglect proceedings with particular emphasis on the distinctive requirements of the South Carolina Child Welfare System.