Child Maltreatment Questions

RN1989 · Oct 10, 2007

1. should i report emotional abuse and/or parental neglect as well as physical abuse? yes

2. where should i report it? (i.e how extreme does it have to get before i report it?) if you can see that they are neglected or emotionally abused, then it is reportable. generally you are not going to notice any problems if anything going on at home is a sporadic, occasional thing. but if you can actually see signs of a problem, then obviously it happens frequently/all the time and must be dealt with. thus, there is no waiting for it to get bad - if you can see it - it's bad. no, i don't consider a parent spanking their child and yelling at them in public a reportable offense.

3. is it a good idea to report it even if it isn't life-threatening so that parents will be warned to change their behavior? if you are able to see signs, then chances are it is life threatening. physical abuse and neglect are part of a cycle along with emotional abuse/neglect.

4. who do i contact and what specific information do i need to supply? your state agency that protects children - known by various names (cps, dcf, etc). the more information they are given, the more thoroughly they can investigate. specific names, dates, actions seen, quotes from the offender and victim. they take anonymous tips but putting a name and number for them to contact you gets better results. you won't be anonymous to the agency but they keep your name anonymous from the offender.

5. is there anything else i should know about reporting abuse or neglect? documentation is extremely important. these investigations can go on for a long time. what you think you see may not be what is really happening. sometimes our solution to the problem is not what the investigating agency ends up doing.

underpaidrn · Oct 10, 2007

Hey guys! I need to do a quick little project for my college developmental Psychology class. So far it's been a little rough finishing this interview I have to do because none of the agencies I've called have gotten back to me. If anyone out there wants to help me out, I'd love you for a really long time :)
The answers can be pretty short (long is great too), all I need is a page typed. I also need a name and phone number if possible (you could send through a pm maybe), I'm guessing so if she thinks the student made it up, she can go check. Although I'm 99% sure she won't contact you, or just give me a fake name and number I guess lol.
1. Should I report emotional abuse and/or parental neglect as well as physical abuse? Yes, and when you become a health care provider, it is a legal mandate that you must report any and all abuse.
2. Where should I report it? (i.e How extreme does it have to get before I report it?) Usually, it's reported to your local Child Protective Service, a part of the Social Services department in your area.
3. Is it a good idea to report it even if it isn't life-threatening so that parents will be warned to change their behavior? Yes, this way the parents may be taught to be better parents. It may be learned behaviors they saw when they were a child, so they may welcome the advice, but don't count on it. More than likely, they'll be very angry, but you can remain anonymous.
4. Who do I contact and what specific information do I need to supply?
Same answer as above.
5. Is there anything else I should know about reporting abuse or neglect? Hopefully, the CPS in your area will be better than the one in my area. They are slow to move to action and most of the time, nothing comes of it, but once in a while they shine through. Just remember that you must report what you see. Don't do it in malice but be totally objective in your findings.
Optional question we can ask, thought some might get a kick out of it.
6. Do you feel you are adequetly staffed? Right now we are.
And that's it! The answers can be really simple so don't feel they have to be huge or anything. Thanks again

Best of luck to you.

ghaleon128 · Oct 10, 2007

Yay!! Thanks RN1989 and underpaidrn that's all I need.

underpaidrn · Oct 10, 2007

Yay!! Thanks RN1989, that's all I need.
As for you, Rawr. Enjoy the dancing monkey :monkeydance:

Not quite sure what that meant. My answers are in the box where I quoted you. I didn't know how to make the ink a different color, so they are hard to see. Apologize if you didn't see them and thought the only thing I sent you was the last line.

ghaleon128 · Oct 10, 2007

Not quite sure what that meant. My answers are in the box where I quoted you. I didn't know how to make the ink a different color, so they are hard to see. Apologize if you didn't see them and thought the only thing I sent you was the last line.

Bah, I'm a big moron. Really, really sorry about that, my laptop doesnt have the brightest screen and I didn't see the responses. Here you help me and I say that! I apologize.

underpaidrn · Oct 10, 2007

Bah, I'm a big moron. Really, really sorry about that, my laptop doesnt have the brightest screen. Here you help me and I say that! I apologize.

No problem, been there, done that! If you want to know how to mess something up, just ask me. I've probably done and done it well. Good luck with all your studies and one day I'll learn how to use all the extras on my computer! :lol2:

User123456 · Oct 10, 2007

no problem, been there, done that! if you want to know how to mess something up, just ask me. i've probably done and done it well. good luck with all your studies and one day i'll learn how to use all the extras on my computer!

hee hee hee if you want to change the font or the color when you post simply look at the top of the message box the font is the first box mine is veranda the second box is the font size and the next is the color box. just highlight using your mouse the type you want to change and click the button that does what you want. you can also underline add smileys ect. hope that helped! :kiss

underpaidrn · Oct 10, 2007

hee hee hee if you want to change the font or the color when you post simply look at the top of the message box the font is the first box mine is veranda the second box is the font size and the next is the color box. just highlight using your mouse the type you want to change and click the button that does what you want. you can also underline add smileys ect. hope that helped! :kiss

thanks sweetie. sometimes these old eyes don't work as well as they should and everyone who knows me, knows i'm computer challenged. the tips will come in handy:kiss

User123456 · Oct 10, 2007

your welcome! :blushkiss

elkpark · Oct 11, 2007

Also keep in mind that you don't have to know for a fact that abuse or neglect is taking place, or do your own investigation, before you report -- the standard is that you report if you reasonably suspect that there may be abuse or neglect.

It's not your (our) job to determine definitively whether or not the abuse/neglect is actually happening; that is the job of CPS (child protective service) personnel. We report our suspicions.