Does Masachusetts have child supervision guidelines?

What is the name of your state? Masachusetts.

I'm recently separated. I've worked overnight for the past seven years. I told my husband before he left that I would be unable to do anything about changing my hours. I would have to take a large pay cut and lose half my hours.

He had been coming back into the residence to "watch" the kids while I was out. That hadn't been working out because he constantly overstepped his boundaries while in the household. (Taking food out of the refrigerator, doing his laundry, and refusing to get out of bed and leave when I returned in the morning.) I had been putting up with this and worse behavior for four weeks.

Last week, after I left for work, my husband and my oldest son got into an argument. It wound up with him grabbing my son and dragging him into the kitchen by the collar of his sweatshirt.
My youngest, (9) started crying. and the second oldest threatened to call the police. My son got away from him and was able to run outside.

You'd think he'd been ashamed. Finally, (after I'd been home seven-and-a-half-hours.) I asked him to leave. That night, he returned after I left. I told the kids to brace the door with a pole, (since he refused to leave his key). At about nine-thirty the kids felt the floor shaking. He was outside trying to force the pole off the door.

I broke down and got a restraining order the following day.

Fortunately, my oldest son is fifteen years old and very responsible. For the last three days he has taken on the job of seeing that the younger siblings get into bed after I leave for work.

Now, I discover that my husband told his lawyer that I leave the kids alone overnight. She has threatned to contact DSS. I have been surfing the web and found that in Dakota County in Minnesota, it is acceptable for a fifteen year old to baby-sit younger childer for -more- than 24 hours. Does anyone know what the guidelines for Masachusetts are?

Thank you in advance
2wrongs- don't make it right.