False Allegations Of Sexual Abuse

False allegations of sexual abuse are the most deadly and potentially damaging allegations you can face in a custody dispute. The number one way to deal with them is in a very methodical, scientific, and strategic manner is to clear yourself of any wrongdoing that never happened. Left to the courts to decide, false allegations of sexual abuse in a child custody dispute can drag on for months or longer!

Sexual abuse allegations and child custody disputes are like oil and vinegar. An allegation of sexual abuse triggers a number of investigations depending on your state's policy and laws for dealing with these types of issues. Usually it involves an investigation by DCF or social services, secondly the local police, and possibly the state police. A multidisciplinary team who specializes in investigating allegations of sexual abuse is often introduced, too.

There are two professionals you absolutely need when facing false allegations of sexual abuse: an attorney and a forensic psychologist. I will explain this below:

1) You need to have your attorney insist that your child is first examined by the child's pediatrician. You should also meet with the pediatrican prior to the exam and explain the nature of the sexual abuse allegations.

2) Depending on the pediatrician's final conclusion, you may need to have the pediatrician make a referral to a sexual abuse evaluation. This usually consists of a multidiscipinary team including a medical doctor, a nurse, and a mental health professional trained in sexual abuse assessments and interviews.

3) Hire a forensic psychologist. Why? You need to have this type of professional working on your behalf to make sure appropriate scientific procedures are followed in conducting the sexual abuse assessment. If they're not, you have a credible expert to offer a counter-opinion on your behalf regarding the false allegations. I have seen several cases in which an unqualified professional made false conclusions about allegations of sexual abuse and because they went uncontested by an appropriate professional they were entered as fact!

4) Have your attorney file a Motion For Psychosexual Evaluation for yourself to undergo a psychosexual evaluation as soon as possible. This will offer additional neutral data that you are not a perpertrator. This can be the most credible source of data undoing the false allegation of sexual abuse. It is likely that this will be requested later in the process, so it is best to take immediate action to faciliatehaving contact with your child(ren) again soon.

5) Cooperate with any police investigations and social service investigations.

6) Do NOT submit to a polygraph test or plythysmograph test because they do not meet standards of scientific admissability and you risk a "false positive" reading that is invalid. Your attorney can legally challenge any requests for these instruments. Sometimes these instruments are used incorrectly to prove you are lying about the allegation of sexual abuse.

7) The most critical point is to continue having visitation with your child during the investigation process. To accomplish this, you may need to proceed with supervised therapeutic visits, with a competent professional during the period of assesment and investigation of the allegation of sexual abuse. This is an added burden, but it protects future allegations that your attachment is lost because of a loss of contact.

A final point is that the more time goes by, and the false allegation of abuse is not proven flase, the higher the chances are that people making the allegation or believing the allegation will have difficulty changing their mind.