Child Abuse Prevention Month

Child Abuse Prevention Month

Jennifer Fieten, MA, CCLS
Beacon Children’s Hospital, South Bend, IN
Maryville University, St. Louis, MO

According to Childhelp (2022), more than 4 million referrals are made to child protection agencies each year, involving more than 4.3 million children.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. According to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2022), “the United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations – losing on average 5 children every day to child abuse and neglect.”

How do we define child abuse and neglect? At the federal level, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) has defined child abuse and neglect as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”

The role of child life specialists related to child abuse and prevention includes hospital and community-based prevention initiatives, ongoing psychosocial support for the patient suspected (or, confirmed) as having been affected by child abuse and/or neglect (to include exam preparation, exam support, emotional support, and therapeutic play interventions), and advocacy efforts to bring awareness to the needs and challenges faced by these pediatric patients and families. Research recently conducted by Burns-Nader, Schmitz, Berryhill, and Parker (2021), revealed that the benefits of including child life specialists in the care of this patient population included decrease of re-traumatization, increase in the cooperation of the patient, increased coping, and a decrease in the stress and anxiety of the patient.

It is also important to remember that we, as child life specialists, are mandated reporters. Being a mandated reporter is one of the most important roles that all child life specialists play. What does it mean to be a mandated reporter? Some professionals, such as teachers or child life specialists, are required by State laws to report child maltreatment under specific circumstances. Some States require all adults to report suspicions of child abuse or neglect. Individuals required to report maltreatment are called mandatory reporters (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2019). Individuals can learn more about the laws that designate groups of professionals or individuals as mandatory reporters by reviewing Information Gateway’s Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect page of their website.

When providing support to those affected by child abuse and neglect, and when bringing awareness to the needs of this patient population, it is important to have resources available both to inform and to equip; the following resources can be extremely beneficial for child life specialists.

Resources

What are the signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect? The Child Welfare Information Gateway (2019) provides incredibly helpful and detailed information which can be found below:

Recognizing Child Abuse

The following signs may signal the presence of child abuse or neglect.

The Child:

-Shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance
-Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought to the parents’
attention
-Has learning problems (or difficulty concentrating) that cannot be attributed to
specific physical or psychological causes
-Is always watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen
-Lacks adult supervision
-Is overly compliant, passive, or withdrawn
-Comes to school or other activities early, stays late, and does not want to go home

The Parent:

-Shows little concern for the child
-Denies the existence of—or blames the child for—the child’s problems in school or
at home
-Asks teachers or other caregivers to use harsh physical discipline if the child
misbehaves
-Sees the child as entirely bad, worthless, or burdensome
-Demands a level of physical or academic performance the child cannot achieve
-Looks primarily to the child for care, attention, and satisfaction of emotional needs

The Parent and Child:

-Rarely touch or look at each other
-Consider their relationship entirely negative
-State that they do not like each other

Who are common perpetrators of abuse and neglect? Perpetrators of child abuse and neglect are the very people responsible for the child’s safety and well-being; 41% of children were abused by just their mother and 19% of children were abused by both their mother and their father (Department of Health and Human Services, 2004).

Signs of Physical Abuse

Consider the possibility of physical abuse when the child:

-Has unexplained burns, bites, bruises, broken bones, or black eyes
-Has fading bruises or other marks noticeable after an absence from school
-Seems frightened of the parents and protests or cries when it is time to go home
-Shrinks at the approach of adults
-Reports injury by a parent or another adult caregiver

Consider the possibility of physical abuse when the parent or other adult caregiver:

-Offers conflicting, unconvincing, or no explanation for the child’s injury
-Describes the child as “evil,” or in some other very negative way
-Uses harsh physical discipline with the child
-Has a history of abuse as a child

Signs of Neglect

Consider the possibility of neglect when the child:

-Is frequently absent from school
-Begs or steals food or money
-Lacks needed medical or dental care, immunizations, or glasses
-Is consistently dirty and has severe body odor
-Lacks sufficient clothing for the weather
-Abuses alcohol or other drugs
-States that there is no one at home to provide care

Consider the possibility of neglect when the parent or other adult caregiver:

-Appears to be indifferent to the child
-Seems apathetic or depressed
-Behaves irrationally or in a bizarre manner
-Is abusing alcohol or other drugs

Signs of Sexual Abuse

Consider the possibility of sexual abuse when the child:

-Has difficulty walking or sitting
-Suddenly refuses to change for gym or to participate in physical activities
-Reports nightmares or bedwetting

If child abuse and/or neglect is suspected, what are the reporting practices guidelines? It is important to be familiar with the process. To learn where and how to file a report, contact your local child protective services agency or police department. An additional resource is Childhelp’s National Child Abuse Hotline (800.4.A.CHILD), and its website, which offer crisis intervention, information, resources, and referrals to support services and provide assistance in more than 170 languages.

To learn what happens when suspected abuse or neglect is reported, read Gateway’s How the Child Welfare System Works.

Some additional resources I have found beneficial related to child abuse and/or neglect:

Childhelp. (2022). Child abuse statistics. https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/.

This resource is unique in that it does not just provide statistics on child abuse, but also provides information on the health impacts of child abuse.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2019). Definitions of child abuse and neglect. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/define.pdf.

This publication presents civil definitions that determine the grounds for intervention by State child protective agencies.

Child Welfare Information Gateway (2019). What is child abuse and neglect? Recognizing the signs and symptoms. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/whatiscan.pdf.

This factsheet is intended to help you better understand the Federal definition of child abuse and neglect; learn about the different types of abuse and neglect, including human trafficking; and recognize their signs and symptoms.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2007). Recognizing child abuse and neglect: Signs and symptoms. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/signs.pdf.

This report provides detailed information on the signs and symptoms of abuse, as well as the different types of abuse and neglect.

Department of Health and Human Services. (2004). What everyone can do to prevent child abuse. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/2004guide.pdf.

This unique resource provides specific ways in which individuals can bring awareness to child abuse and actively participate in child abuse prevention initiatives.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). Spread the word. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/spread-the-word/.

This resource provides downloadable materials to support advocacy and awareness efforts.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). National Child Abuse Prevention Month. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/about/

This resource is beneficial in that it provides statistics on child abuse and neglect, as well as information about the role of protective factors and adverse childhood experiences in prevention efforts.

What Can We Do to Increase Awareness? We can increase awareness by spreading the word. “...Spreading the word about child abuse prevention lets your community know they can take action to strengthen families and help them thrive” (https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/spread-the-word/).

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