Mother’s Failure to Seek Medical Care for Child Coupled With Mother’s Mental Illness Supported Neglect Finding

The Third Department determined Family Court’s neglect finding was supported by evidence mother did not seek needed dental and medical care for her child and suffered from psychological problems which created an imminent risk of harm to the child:

To establish neglect, a petitioner must demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the child’s physical, mental or emotional condition has been impaired or is in imminent danger of becoming impaired due to the failure of the parent or caretaker to exercise a minimum degree of care (see Family Ct Act §§ 1012 [f] [i]…). In determining the minimum degree of care, courts must objectively evaluate parental behavior in terms of whether “a reasonable and prudent parent [would] have so acted, or failed to act, under the circumstances then and there existing” … . On this basis, a failure to provide adequate medical care and/or follow through with necessary medical treatment constitutes neglect… . * * *”While evidence of mental illness, alone, does not support a finding of neglect, such evidence may be part of a neglect determination when the proof further demonstrates that a respondent’s condition creates an imminent risk of physical, mental or emotional harm to a child”… . Matter of Josephine BB …, 516132, 3rd Dept 2-27-14