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