State Laws And Let Grow Updates in Iowa

It is a crime to willfully deprive a child of necessary supervision when the person is reasonably able to make the necessary provisions and which deprivation substantially harms the child’s physical, mental or emotional health. Iowa Code § 16-726.6. Knowingly causing risk to the child is also considered child endangerment under this section. This law does not specifically identify what necessary supervision includes, and presumably would allow for prosecutions if a child was allowed to be alone and got hurt, effectively making the parent liable for any risk that turned out to lead to a harm, even if unlikely.

Iowa treats as abuse the failure on the part of a person responsible for the care of a child to provide supervision “necessary for the child’s health or welfare when financially able to do so.” Iowa Code § 6-232.68. (This is the “Juvenile Justice in Human Services” law). Further definition provides that abuse is the failure to provide for the adequate supervision of a child and means the person failed to provide proper supervision of a child that a reasonable and prudent person would exercise under similar facts and circumstances and the failure resulted in direct harm or created a risk of harm to the child. Iowa Code § 6-232.68. While this definition is more protective than many, it does not explicitly ensure protection for independent activities.

This webpage is not a legal document, and Let Grow does not take responsibility for the content. Be mindful that some localities have rules and guidelines even when the state does not. When in doubt, consult your local authorities to confirm the laws where you live. What’s more, laws change, as do judicial interpretations of them, and this webpage may not be updated immediately.