Society recognizes parents and other caretakers are primarily responsible for ensuring that children receive food, shelter, clothing; adequate medical care; education; supervision; and moral and social guidance in keeping with the needs of the child. Parents or other caretakers determine child rearing methods, as long as they provide minimally sufficient care in a safe environment.
When a caretaker clearly fails to provide at least minimally sufficient care, the rights of parents over their children may be limited through the authority vested in the state. The limitation of parental rights occurs when it is necessary to ensure the child's protection from serious harm. One responsibility of child protective services is to recommend to the court to what extent parental rights need to be limited. This determination is frequently complicated by personal, cultural, and societal values that can strongly influence these recommendations. The child protective service worker has the responsibility of remaining objective when recommending court intervention, recognizing any value conflicts that may influence his or her judgment.
