Child Abuse & Neglect Symposium

Purpose of the Seminar

To Review the Role of Legally Mandated Reporters

To Review the Moral and Ethical Obligation of Social Workers to Report

This is hard to talk about!

 The content is difficult to hearMost people would prefer not to deal with physical, emotional, and sexual abuseChildren were seen as property until the 20th centuryChildren are seen as vulnerable and in need of protection, thinking

about abusing them is un- thinkable for most adults

Who is Mandated to ReportAbuse/Neglect?

Social Workers (including interns) Physicians Dentists School Officials Day care center workers Child welfare professionals Hospital personnel Police officers Mental health professionals

History of Child Abuse and Neglect

The story of Mary Ellen, Henry Burgh,& Ella Wheeler World of abnormal rearing Battered child syndrome

The Mary Ellen Story

Friendly visitor Ella Wheeler found Mary Ellen in a NYC tenement battered and beaten

No laws protected her, she was considered property Ms. Wheeler went to Henry Burgh at the American

Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for help They went to court and won Mary Ellen’s freedom In 1875 they founded the American Society for the

Prevention of Cruelty to Children

World of Abnormal Rearing

History of having been abused as a child Lack of emotional or social support Familial Violence Homelessness Poverty/Life Crises Teenage Parenthood/Absence of Nurturing Attitudes Substance Abuse Impaired physical/emotional health Social Pollution Stress of Single Parenting

Battered Child Syndrome

In 1961 C. Henry Kemp, MD coined the term He developed the term seeing children coming into

emergency rooms, with unexplained “accidents” He “re-discovered child abuse, it took the profession 90

years to really confront child maltreatment Kempe and his colleagues developed criteria for abuse

and provided legitimacy to address the issues of child abuse

From 1963 to 1965, 47 states passed child abuse reporting laws

Statistics

In 1997, 234,205 children were reported abused or neglected in NYS

63 children died as a result of abuse or neglect in 1998 In 1997, 146 children ages 0-19 were killed by firearms

in NYS; in the U.S. 12 children a day are killed by guns In 1998, 55,995 children were arrested; of these 48%

were for a violent crime

Clash of Values

Parents Rights vs. Children’s Rights

Sanctity of Home vs. Freedom From Harm

Right to Privacy vs. Community Obligations

Conflicting Professional Viewpoints

Legal Issues

Social/Resource Issues

Medical/Illness Model

Definitions of Abuse

Physical Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Emotional Abuse

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is characterized by inflicting injury by

punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, or

otherwise harming a child. Although the injury is not

an accident, the parent or caretaker may not have

intended to hurt the child. The injury may have

resulted from over discipline or physical punishment

that is inappropriate for the child’s age.

Signs of Physical Abuse

Bruises/skin damage/welts Bone/skull fractures Head and internal injuries Burns, sprains, dislocations Enuresis/encopresis Passivity/over compliant Temper tantrums Hypervigilance Low self esteem School problems

Sexual Abuse

According to the National Center on Child

Abuse and Neglect, sexual abuse includes

fondling the child’s genitals, intercourse, incest,

rape, sodomy, exhibitionism, and sexual exploitation.

To be considered child abuse, these acts have to be

committed by a person responsible for caring for the

child (parent, baby-sitter, day care provider).

Signs of Sexual Abuse

Pain/bruises/trauma in genital/anal area Venereal diseases/Pregnancy Persistent of inappropriate sexual behavior Depression/low self esteem Running away Sudden involvement in delinquent behavior Inability to make friends/poor peer relations School problems Suicidal behavior/Sleep problems Eating disorders

Emotional Abuse

According to O’ Hagen, emotional and

psychological abuse is defined as sustained,

repetitive, inappropriate behavior which

damages or substantially reduces the creative and

developmental potential of crucially important mental

faculties and mental processes of a child, these

faculties and processes include intelligence, memory,

recognition, perception, attention, imagination and

moral development

Signs of Emotional Abuse

Low self esteem Pseudo maturity Regressive behavior Suicidal behavior Sleep disturbances Irritability Depression/anxiety/withdrawn

Dynamics of Abuse

Straus and Smith developed a Child AbuseChecklist, Some of the variables include:

Verbally aggressive toward the child Verbal aggression between spouses Physical aggression between spouses High levels of marital conflict Family with more than one child Parent who was physically abused as a child Spousal abuse in family of origin

Definitions of Child Neglect

According to the Third National Incidence Study

of Child Abuse and Neglect, Neglect is defined in

three areas:

Physical

Educational

Emotional

Physical Neglect

Refusal/delays in health care Abandonment Expulsion Inadequate supervision Custody issues Other neglect issues

Educational Neglect

Permitted chronic truancy Failure to enroll Inattention to special educational needs

Emotional Neglect

Failure to nurture/affection Chronic/extreme spousal abuse Permitted drug/alcohol abuse Permitted maladaptive behavior Refusal of psychological care Delay in psychological care Other emotional neglect

Dynamics of Neglect

Neglect can be caused by the physical or mental impairment of the parent

Substance Abuse Homelessness/Poverty Lack of social support Life Crises

When to Report Suspected Abuse

As a mandated reporter you must file a report

when there is reasonable cause to suspect the

child whom you see in your professional or

official capacity is being abused or neglected; or

the parent or responsible person legally

responsible for a child comes to you and reports

that there is abuse or neglect

When to Report Suspected Abuse

As a mandated reporter you must file a report

when there is reasonable cause to suspect the

child whom you see in your professional or

official capacity is being abused or neglected; or

the parent or responsible person legally

responsible for a child comes to you and reports

that there is abuse or neglect

How to Report Suspected Abuse

New York State Central Register of Child Abuse Reporting

1 800 635-1522

Toll free Hotline for Mandated Reporters

Risk Assessment

Decision Trees Uniform Case Record AssessmentsAssessing Risk Using Quantifiable VariablesStandardized Measures

When to Report Suspected Abuse

As a mandated reporter you must file a report

when there is reasonable cause to suspect the

child whom you see in your professional or

official capacity is being abused or neglected; or

the parent or responsible person legally

responsible for a child comes to you and reports

that there is abuse or neglect

Permanency Planning Outcomes

Children remain safely with their parents or relatives

Children are reunified safely with their parents or relatives

Children are safely adopted by relatives or other families

      

Permanency Planning Outcomes

Children are safely placed with relatives or other families as legal guardians

Children are safely placed in another planned alternative permanent living arrangement

All children and youth deserve safe, permanent homes, with loving families