A Child Abuse Investigator Offers Tips for Educators

What Is Child Abuse?

Child abuse occurs among all socioeconomic family environments and cultures. Drug and alcohol abuse are common ingredients. Domestic violence is another leading indicator of potential child abuse.

The federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) provides a foundation for states by identifying a minimum set of acts or behaviors that characterize maltreatment. CAPTA also defines what acts are considered physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse. Individual states determine and define what warrants further investigation. Civil laws, or statutes, describe the circumstances and conditions that obligate mandated reporters to report known or suspected cases of abuse, with each state providing definitions.(2)

Physical abuse is an intentional injury to a child by the caretaker.(3) It may include but is not limited to burning, beating, kicking, and punching. It is usually the easiest to identify because it often leaves bruises, burns, broken bones, or unexplained injuries. By definition, physical abuse is not accidental, but neither is it necessarily the caretaker's intent to injure the child.

Although physical abuse may result from overdiscipline, or from punishment inappropriate to the child's age, corporal punishment, or spanking, is not against the law, even though many studies have demonstrated spanking is not a healthy from of discipline. Spanking, however, can be abusive and lead to injuries that should be reported.

Three-year old Anastasia could not sit still in her chair during snack time. The little girl with long blonde curls complained her bottom hurt. After some discussion with the child, the teacher learned Anastasia had been spanked the night before because she wet her pants. The teacher lifted Anastasia's shirt. Three small visible bruises traced the outline of the girl's underwear.

Should the teacher report? Given the child's statement and age, this is a reportable suspected case of abuse. Although young children are often prone to bruising because of their level of activity, questionable bruising should always be reported.

Neglect is the most common type of reported and substantiated maltreatment. According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, of the estimated 826,000 victims of child abuse and neglect in 1999, 58.4%-more than 482,000 children-suffered from neglect; 21.3% were physically abused, and 11.3% were victims of sexual abuse.(4)

Whereas physical abuse tends to be episodic, neglect is more often chronic and involves inattention to a child's basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and supervision.

When considering the possibility of neglect, educators should look for consistencies and ask themselves such questions as:

* Does the child steal or hoard food consistently?
* Does the child consistently demonstrate disorganized thinking or unattended needs?
* Would observing the family in the context of the community provide any answers?
* Is this culturally acceptable child rearing, a different lifestyle, or true neglect?

A second grade teacher overhears a student say he hates going home because it is scary. When the teacher asks why, the child says the electricity has been turned off and his mom doesn't get home from work until dinnertime.

Is this a case to report? With a little probing, yes. If a young child is left home alone, the child is at risk for any number of problems, from a stranger coming to the door to a house fire or the child becoming injured.

Educational neglect. CPS receives many calls about parents not sending their children to school. CPS can look into such reports, because they may signal a larger case of neglect, but most communities have other resources to handle ongoing truancy.

Emotional abuse can be defined as verbal, psychological, or mental abuse in which the damage inflicted leaves lasting scars. It can include blaming, belittling, or rejecting a child; constantly treating siblings unequally; and a persistent lack of concern by the caretaker for the child's welfare.

Credits: Children's Voice Article, November 2001