Father charged with neglect after nanny takes child

On Wednesday in Surprise Arizona, a 15 year old live-in nanny disappeared with her 18 month old charge. She was said to have left the house at 4pm to take the baby to the park. At 7:30 when she hadn't returned, the father of the child contacted authorities.

Thankfully, the baby was found the next day. What is unprecedented about this incident, is that immediately after the baby was returned, Child Protective Services took custody of the child claiming that the father had been negligent in the care of his son.

You see, the father found his "nanny" on Craigslist. He believed her when she told him she was 19 when in truth she was a 15 year old runaway with a drug problem. Obviously, this father never conducted a background check on his care giver. And this is what Child Protective Services is using as grounds for removing the child from the father's care.

"CPS came down, talked to us and concurred with us that his actions were neglectful," Ortega said. "Through his own admission, he didn't take the precaution to see who he had to take care of his son."

To me this is just another reason why background checks are essential. Now families not only have to worry about protecting their children but also about protecting themselves from accusations of neglect.

Had this father spent as little at $69 to check out his nanny, he would have avoided the horror of a missing child experience and the heartbreak of having his son removed by authorities. The read the referenced article, click on the link below. Use the comments link to give us your feedback on this issue.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0229gl-nwvamberfolo0229-ONL.html

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