Chapter Fourteen: Child Maltreatment Child Maltreatment - def. All types of abuse and neglect of a child under the age of 18 by a caregiver. 6.8 million cases of child maltreatment were reported in 2012 Children under 6 are the highest risk of being abused. Supportive, healthy adults can make a big difference in the life of a child who are in an abusive situation. Teachers must be able to recognize signs of all types of abuse ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Child Maltreatment Preventive Measures - understanding how to prevent accusations and how intervene Protective Measures - recognize, document, and report all forms of child maltreatment Working with children from substance-abuse families - understand typical behavior and personalities ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Child Maltreatment

Preventive Measures Begin at the early childhood education site and screen forabuse potential Abuse can affect brain development, growth, and function Early intervention can prevent long term negative effects Background checks must be done on ALL staff working with children Stay within ratio, give active supervision ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Preventive Measures Parents need to know that all teachers are Mandatory Reporters Preventing accusations Routine daily health check, look for scratches and bruises Documentation of new injuries from home and school Promote healthy activities to prevent teacher stress Know who is allowed to pick up and drop off the child. Show IDs ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Preventive Measures Intervention Intervention strategies Observation, discussion, and action Establish trusting relationship with families Look for early warning signs of distress Respond to family crises by offering real support and connections to resources for families Help parents undertsand various stages of child development to lower frustration ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Preventive Measures Intervention may prevent maltreatment Observation Discussion the situation with supervisor or parents Action/reporting Understand factors that lead to abuse to prevent reoccurrence ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Parental factors leading to abuse Significant change in lifestyle: death, divorce, unemployment Not understanding child development patterns High levels of stress History of abuse Domestic violence Anger management problems Lack of attachment to the child Low self esteem Substance abuse ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Protective Measures Recognition Know or be familiar with physical and behavioral indicators of child maltreatment to look for in children 4 categories: Physical Abuse Emotional Abuse Sexual Abuse Emotional Abuse ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Protective Measures for Child Maltreatment Know Indicators of Physical Abuse - results in NON accidental injury, 18.3% of child abuse cases Emotional Abuse - excessive yelling, not realistic demands, belittling, psychological maltreatment, 8.5 % ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Child abuse Sexual Abuse - sexual exploitation, sexual assault 70% of children know their perpetrator 9.5% of cases are sexual abuse Neglect - withholding food, shelter, clothing which puts the child's health and safety in danger. ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Child abuse Types of Neglect Educational - failure to meet the educational needs of the child - skipping school Emotional - failure to meet the child's need for attention Inadequate supervision- failure to provide supervision or leaving the child with inappropriate caregivers Environmental - failure to provide sanitary living condition Drug addicted newborn - failure to stop using drugs during pregnancy Medical - failure to take the child to the doctor/appointments Physical - failure to provide food, clothing, hygiene ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Brain Box: The Effects of Neglect on the Developing Brain Failure to provide Maslow’s basic needs can lead to neglect Neglect causes certain important regions of the brain to grow and develop abnormally Long term consequences of neglect ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Protective Measures Documentation If abuse is suspected, document indicators, and call Child Protection services Observe child at different times, in different situations and record in note form Record behavior, conversation and physical signs Anecdotal record best type for this Keep records for a period of time to refer to later ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Protective Measures  Reporting  Report when you feel you see signs of any type of abuse  Child’s name, age, and address must be included  Parents’ names and address should be given, if separate address  Anonymity for teacher will be provided  In some cases, teacher may want to talk to parents first  A child protection worker will talk with the reporter and possibly do a in home inspection

©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Protective Measures Caring for the Maltreated Child Teacher should examine feelings, know if care can be delivered without prejudice, and learn to redirect behaviors that may be a result of maltreatment Behaviors of abused children: Shame Anger Difficulty making friends Physically aggressive Withdrawn

Protective Measures To help and support a maltreated child the teacher needs to provide: Trust Predictable routines Consistent behavior Safe boundaries Confidence Good communication skills ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Reality Check: Domestic Violence and Its Effects on Children’s Lives What protective factors could a teacher provide for a child who has witnessed domestic violence? ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Working with Children From Substance- Abusing Families  Prenatal exposure to drugs can cause developmental difficulties  Inability to organize play,  Poor problem solving skills  Poor social skills  Aggression  8 million children have one parent with substance abuse issues ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Working with Children From Drug Abusing Families Family Types The Recovering Family The Actively Abusing Family The Foster Family Kinship Family ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Working with Children From Drug Abusing Families Working with the Children Provide safe and protective environment Consistency, stability ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Substance Abusing Families Recovering Family In or just out of a recovery program Parents may be emotionally unavailable due to working towards progress in their own issues Parents need extra help in care giving skills Actively Abusing Family Chaotic environments Children have difficulty getting their needs met Children being exposed to drug environments is child maltreatment Parents have mood swings, depression, emotionally unavailable to the children Isolation or avoiding other healthy adults ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Substance abusing families Foster Family 400,000 children in foster care in US Average length of time in foster care is 13 mo. Unpredictable environment due to the children having different needs and stressors Kinship Family When grandparents are raising children without legal custody When a family member or friend is raising a child without legal custody Friends take children in without reporting to Child Protective Services ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Supporting and Engaging Diverse Families Supporting Families Child maltreatment is a very sensitive issue Five protective factors Establish trust Provide a sense of community in the school and classroom Teach parents about child development Offer support to the family during a crisis Provide a safe environment for the child ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Building Curriculum  For Children Empower children with knowledge – What is and what is not acceptable behavior Help children verbalize feelings Model self-control Books, puppets, art help children express feelings ©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.