What are my rights in child custody issues?

State law allows law enforcement to remove a child from a parent if law enforcement personnel determine that the child is in imminent danger of abuse, neglect or abandonment.  (Idaho Code 16-1608.)  This can happen without a hearing before a judge, at least for a few days until the hearing can be set.  Since child abuse, neglect and abandonment may also be criminal offenses, you have a constitutionally-protected right not to incriminate yourself by giving information to law inforcement, but at least initially, it may result in your child being removed from your care.   You should definitely consult an attorney about your concerns, but understand also that even attorneys, with whom a client ordinarily has a privilege of confidentiality of communications, are required by state law to report to law enforcement instances in which they have a "reason to believe" that a child "has been abandoned, abused or neglected, or who observes the child being subjected to conditions or circumstanes which would reasonably result in abuse, abandonment or neglect".  (Idaho Code 16-1605).  This means that you would first want to alert the attorney that you wished to speak in hypothetical terms about what acts, circumstances and conditions would fall within the definitions of "abuse", "abandonment" "neglect." Of course, if you think you have abused, neglected or abandoned your child, stop immediately.  

State law allows law enforcement to remove a child from a parent if law enforcement personnel determine that the child is in imminent danger of physical harm (Idaho Code 16-1608.)  This can happen without a hearing before a judge, at least for a few days until the hearing can be set.  Since child abuse and neglect are criminal offenses, you have a constitutionally-protected right not to incriminate yourself by giving information to law inforcement, but at least initially, it may result in your child being removed from your care.   You should definitely consult an attorney about your concerns, but understand also that even attorneys, with whom a client ordinarily has a privilege of confidentiality of communications, are required by state law to report to law enforcement instances in which they have a "reason to believe" that a child "has been abandoned, abused or neglected,    (Idaho Code 16-1605).