The Missing Child in Child Protection: The Constitutional Context of Child Maltreatment From Meyer to DeShaney

This paper employs DeShaney v Winnebago County (1989) as an illustration of how the law has lost sight of the interests of children in cases of child maltreatment. The historical constitutional context of child maltreatment – balancing state’s interests and parental rights – is discussed. The opinions in DeShaney and two of the major criticisms of the majority’s opinion – the action versus inaction dichotomy and the restrictive interpretation of the special relationship doctrine – are then considered. Legislatively created entitlements to protection are suggested as an avenue of relief for injured children which also necessitates a focus on the rights and interests of children.