Preventing Child Abuse

All sectors of human services deal with issues that affect not only individual states but all of America. The multi-faceted sector dealing with child abuse and neglect is no exception. According to the organization Prevent Child Abuse New York, "More than 70,000 New York State children are abused and neglected every year... Nearly 100 of them die; most of these children are less than 5 years old (Prevent Child Abuse New York). These numbers are frightening given that children are the least deserving of such horrible afflictions of pain and suffering. It is very necessary that services and organizations exist designed to protect the most innocent, vulnerable and smallest of all human beings.

Although each state has come up with its own definitions of neglect and abuse, all have to meet the minimum standards placed by the federal government under the Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA). Many states have variations of the following definitions:

"Neglect is failure to provide for a child's basic needs. Neglect may be physical (lack of appropriate supervision, failure to provide necessary food, shelter, medical care, etc...), educational (failure to educate a child or attend special education needs) or emotional (inattention to child's emotional needs or exposure to domestic violence).

These situations do not always mean that a child is neglected. Sometimes cultural values, the standards of care in the community, and poverty may be contributing factors indicating that a family is in need of information or assistance. When a family fails to use information and resources and the child's needs continue to be unmet further welfare intervention may be required.

Physical Abuse is physical injury (ranging from minor bruises to severe fractures or death) as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, shaking, throwing, stabbing, choking, hitting, burning, or otherwise harming a child regardless of whether a caretaker intended to hurt the child.

Sexual Abuse includes activities by a parent or caretaker such as fondling a child's genitals, penetration, incest, rape, sodomy, indecent exposure, and commercial exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials.

Emotional Abuse is any pattern of behavior that impairs a child's emotional development or sense of self-worth. This may include constant criticism, threats, or rejection as well as withholding love, support and guidance" (US Department of Health and Human Services).

According to the Prevent Child Abuse New York the major components of the continuum of care for this sector are; Support for Families, Investment in Children, Education for Prevention, Healthy Families New York Home Visiting, Child Protection and Public Awareness. As with any avoidable tragic event, it is better to prevent abuse from taking place than to have to intervene once it has.

Prevention can be accomplished in a number of ways. Sometimes new mothers and fathers are ignorant in what it really takes to raise a child. They may get frustrated and not know how to handle a crying baby or toddler in a temper tantrum. Perhaps this frustration escalates to the point where the parent picks up the baby or toddler and shakes him or her, or hits him or her with a closed fist. Education and parenting classes can help prevent situations like these. Parents will learn necessary coping skills and how to walk away and calm down. They will also learn the best ways to meet all of their children's needs which will make for a happier family and a calmer home. They key to education is getting parents to come in before a harmful situation occurs. Parents who appear to be at a risk may be referred by a doctor, a member of the clergy, or by a counselor or a case worker if the parents are already getting help within the human service system.

Support for families and investing in children take place in programs such as WIC which provides food vouchers for qualified pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and children. This helps to ensure that children will not be neglected in regards to nourishment, especially if the parent or parents are under financial constraints. It also helps babies to be born healthier by helping a pregnant woman eat right. There are federally funded health care programs in New York State such as Medicaid and Child Health Plus that provide insurance to children who would otherwise have none. There are also services that help parents to find affordable healthcare while working and financial assistance if they are struggling. Religious organizations like Catholic Charities help provide clothing, car seats, and other necessities to needy families. Home visits for extremely high risk families bring services right to the home of the child so that the parent does not have to figure out how to get to the services. Once a parent is made aware of all of the services out there that can help them better care for their child there is no longer any reason or excuse for any form of neglect as defined by law.

Unfortunately there are some cases of abuse and neglect that occur no matter how much education or assistance adults are offered. When harm does come to a child someone must step in on their behalf to protect them. Laws have been set in place declaring that professionals working with children are legally required to report to authorities any suspicion of abuse or neglect. Such individuals are referred to as mandated reporters. Once a report has been filed immediate action is taken to investigate the claims and determine if they are valid or unfounded. If neglect or abuse is indeed found, intervention will take place. In the case of some forms of neglect intervention can be in the form of referral to helping agencies that provide assistance and information, along with monitoring and supervision. In the case of abuse, if it is determined that the child is in danger and at risk of harm at his or her residence he or she is removed from the environment legally, regardless of parental protest. If the child was harmed by a non-custodial parent, parental friend or relative, efforts are made to protect her from that individual in the future. No matter whom the abuser is, legal action can and will be taken. If the abuser is one or both parents the child can be taken into the custody of child protective services until a better arrangement can be made. Sometimes this leads to the child entering temporarily or even permanently into the foster care system (New York State Office of Children and Family Services).

Human service workers within the child abuse and neglect sector are required to have varying degrees of education depending on the type of agency they work for and the position they are in. Workers within a government agency like a local department of child and family services will most likely be required to have at least a baccalaureate degree. Individuals who work for publicly run or not-for-profit agencies are likely to be able to enter a position with lesser qualifications. This is because they deal less with the legal side of things and more with human conflicts. These agencies are the ones that often provide educational services, work toward prevention of abuse, work on campaigns to make the public more aware of child abuse and encourage people to do all they can to help prevent it, and advocate and support the victims and families in difficult times. Sometimes volunteers may also be found in these types of settings. One fact is clear no matter where a human service worker is located within the child abuse and neglect sector. Training is provided in each job, often at the employer's expense, and is continually updated and refreshed. A position in this field means being educated as long as you are employed.

Ensuring the safety of children is not only important, it is also costly. Government based organizations are federally and state funded, but this does not always mean they have the necessary resources to do all that needs to be done to help at risk individuals and those who are victims. That is why it is good that public, not-for-profit and charity organizations exist. Some of these receive aid in the form of state and federal grants, but many also rely on donations by the public and a low cost work force in the form of volunteers.

The sector of child abuse and neglect will probably undergo many changes and advancements in the future. Increased preventative efforts will be in place as will firmer laws pertaining to victimizers. There will always be people out there who will commit horrible acts of violence against those who are unable to fight back. Hopefully in the future we can find a way to decrease the occurrences of abuse. Perhaps we will also have stricter and longer jail sentences for child abusers and be able to find an effective way of keeping children away from potential predators if they are released from jail.

Works Cited:

New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Summary Guide for Mandated Reporters in New York State. 2005. 5 December 2005. http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/publications/Pub1159text.asp

Prevent Child Abuse New York. 2005. 5 December 2005. http://preventchildabuse.org

US Department of Health and Human Services. Gateways to Prevention. Washington, 2004.