UNIT 5: Family Law
Chapter 32
Parents and Children
Responsibilities Between Parents
and Children
There are many jobs, duties, and
responsibilities parents must fulfill when
they have children.
 For the most part, state laws regulate these
important responsibilities.

 For example, state laws require parents to care
for and support their children to the best of their
ability, regardless of whether the parents are
married.
 Parents also have the duty to ensure that their
children receive an education and proper
medical and dental care.
Parents who neglect their parental rights
can be punished according to state
laws.
 However, once a child reaches a certain
age—usually 18—parents are usually no
longer legally bound to provide financial
support to that child.

Parents and children also have a
responsibility to each other.
 Some states have laws requiring the
adult children in a family to support their
elderly or disabled parents.
 In addition, children have a legal duty to
follow their parents' rules as long as
those rules are not harmful or illegal.

Child Abuse and Neglect
Child abuse and neglect seriously affect
the lives of many children in the United
States.
 For this reason, there are increased
security measures taken when people
are applying for a job to work with
children. Employers typically send the
fingerprints of these individuals to the
FBI to make sure that this person does
not have a history of child abuse.

Anyone who suspects that a child is
being abused or neglected should
always report these concerns to the
police.
 Children are usually removed from the
care of a parent or guardian who is
convicted of child abuse.
