MANDATORY REPORTING DUTIES FOR CHILD NEGLECT, ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION G. Andrew H. Benjamin, J.D., Ph.D., ABPP music generously provided by: Professor Paula Lustbader Seattle University School of Law

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children.” ~ Nelson Mandela

Scope of Problem  In 2007, approximately 5.8 million children were involved in 3.2 million child abuse reports and allegations out of 75,512,062 kids  1,569,592 kids, with in the great state of Washington allegedly abused or neglected  Many more go unreported Consider 1 out of 3 girl children and 1 out of 5 boy children are sexually abused SEE: or

The cycle of abuse  According to a 2006 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study: One third of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children.

THE LAW-RCW  All professional school personnel (RCW (8))  Must report to CPS at 1 st opportunity, but in case no longer than 48hrs,.if reasonable cause to believe the child.has suffered abuse or neglect (RCW (1))

ABUSE OR NEGLECT MEANS  Physical injury  Sexual abuse  Sexual exploitation  Negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child by any person… which indicate that the child’s health, welfare, and safety is harmed (RCW (12))

Sometimes

Signs of Physical Abuse (Injury)  Bruises  Burns  Cuts  Bullying But sometimes acts that are considered physical abuse and cause more than just transient pain are not obvious (e.g., shaking a child, smothering the child, threatening child with deadly weapon)

Signs of Physical Abuse  Bruises on uncommonly injured body surfaces  Blunt instrument marks or burns  Human hand marks or bite marks  Multiple injuries at different stages of healing  Evidence of poor care or failure to thrive  Circumferential immersion burns  Unexplained retinal hemorrhages  Acts that cause more than just transient pain are not obvious (e.g., shaking a child, smothering the child, threatening child with deadly weapon)  Bruises on uncommonly injured body surfaces  Blunt instrument marks or burns  Human hand marks or bite marks  Multiple injuries at different stages of healing  Evidence of poor care or failure to thrive  Circumferential immersion burns  Unexplained retinal hemorrhages  Acts that cause more than just transient pain are not obvious (e.g., shaking a child, smothering the child, threatening child with deadly weapon)

Signs of Sexual Abuse  Sudden change in behavior or appearance  Eating disorders  Wetting or fouling of self  Complaining of pain while urinating or having a bowel movement  Isolation/separateness  Sexually inappropriate behavior directed at peers

“Don’t talk to strangers” doesn’t apply here…  93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.  34.2% of attackers were family members.  58.7% were acquaintances.  Only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim. Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network

Signs of Negligent Treatment or Maltreatment  Age-inappropriate behaviors  Sleep problems  Daytime anxieties and unrealistic fears  Behavioral extremes/self-destructive behavior  Rocking, thumb sucking, enuresis or other habitual problems

Signs of Neglect  Clothes are ill-fitting, filthy, or inappropriate for the weather  Hygiene is consistently bad  Untreated illnesses and physical injuries.  Is frequently unsupervised or left  Is frequently late or missing from school or falling asleep in school, or coming very early and leaving very late

This is How I Feel

Examples of Emotional Abuse  ignoring, withdrawal of attention, or rejection  lack of physical affection such as hugs  lack of praise, positive reinforcement  yelling or screaming  threatening or frightening negative comparisons to others

More Examples  belittling; telling the child he or she is "no good," "worthless," "bad," or "a mistake"  using derogatory terms to describe the child, name-calling  shaming or humiliating  habitual blaming  terrorizing a child

Signs of Emotional Abuse  Apathy  Depression  Lack of concentration  Appears defensive, shy, dependent  Is verbally abusive- ?using same language and demeaning terms endured elsewhere  Multiple signs emerge

Themes of our Class Decision-making about mandatory reporting always involves a process This process involves acting congruently with your values Good law, good values, and good teaching go hand-in-hand Never worry alone

Frame the evidence of abuse or neglect that crosses the line When the act or omission evidences a serious disregard of consequences of such magnitude as to constitute a clear and present danger to the child’s health, welfare, and safety  Almost without exception a pattern of awful behavior has been endured by the child

When reasonable cause emerges CPS- toll free 866 END HARM Information to have prepared:  The name, address and age of the child  The name and address of the child's parent, guardian or other persons having custody of the child  The nature and extent of the abuse or neglect  Any evidence of previous incidences

Resources  Child Welfare Information Gateway  Childhelp  Domestic Abuse Project  King County Domestic Violence Homepage Protection%20Order/DomesticViolence.aspx

More Resources de Benedictis Ph.D., T., Jaffe Ph.D., J., Segal Ph.D., J., (2004) Child Abuse: Types, Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Help. Help Guide Web site: ional_sexual_neglect.htm#emotional ional_sexual_neglect.htm#emotional Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. (2009). Protecting the abused & neglected child: a guide for mandated reporters in recognizing & reporting child abuse & neglect. (DSHS Publication No. DSHS Rev. 7/09). Retrieved from: pdfhttp:// 163.pdf

Andy Benjamin, J.D., Ph.D., ABPP Director, Parenting Evaluation/Training Program University of Washington Web sites or or