Childrens.org » Abuse

Signs of Child Abuse

BigKid — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:26:44 +0000

Recognizing child abuse is the key to preventing permanent physical and psychology damage to the child. Being aware of the following signs may help a child in need, or even save their life.

If 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 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Is overly compliant, passive, or withdrawn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

If 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
Gives other permission 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

For additional signs of child abuse, visit the government site for Child Welfare.

Effects of Child Abuse

BigKid — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:22:36 +0000

Neglect of a child is not limited to physical abuse; it encompasses physical, emotional, sexual abuse. The effects of these types of abuse are not limited to the number of years the child suffers; unfortunately, the effects of child abuse last a lifetime. Studies on child abuse have proven the negative effects are more than skin deep, and can have permanent physical, intellectual, and psychological consequences throughout adolescence and adulthood.

When children experience abuse during early childhood, the abuse compromises the physical and psychological development of the child. When a child experiences a multitude of negative experiences during development, the child may develop emotional, behavioral, and learning problems that persist throughout their lifetime. These children later suffer from economic costs of hospital bills, foster care, lower academic achievement, adult criminality, and lifelong mental health problems.

Sexual Child Abuse: The affects of sexual child abuse may include fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor self-esteem, substance abuse, and difficulty with close relationships.

Physical Child Abuse: Children who have faced physical child abuse suffer the immediate effects of bruises, burns, lacerations, and broken bones. In the long term, these children can suffer such injuries as brain damage, hemorrhages, and permanent disabilities. Suffering from physical trauma can also negatively affect children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development.

Emotional Child Abuse: While many people knock the significance of emotional abuse, emotional abuse causes some of the most significant long term psychological damage. People who suffer emotional abuse, also known as psychological maltreatment, are forever altered in their ability to create stable emotional, psychological, and/or social development. The effects of emotional abuse may include insecurity, poor self-esteem, destructive behavior, withdrawal, poor development of basic skills, alcohol or drug abuse, suicide, difficulty forming relationships, and instability in holding a job.

Child Protective Services

BigKid — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:19:46 +0000

All reports of child abuse are first directed to the Child Protective Services agency of state of residence. When reporting a case of child abuse, each state requires certain professionals and institutions to report suspected maltreatment. Examples of these professionals include health care providers and facilities, mental health care providers, teachers and other school staff, social workers, police officers, foster care providers, and daycare providers.

Screening: The first report of suspected child abuse or neglect is called a referral. Referrals that have been screened in are then investigated or assessed by the CPS agency to determine the possibility that maltreatment has occurred, or that the child is at risk of maltreatment. Some referrals are screened out if: The referral did not concern child abuse or neglect; it did not contain enough information to enable an investigation or assessment to occur; the children in the referral were the responsibility of another agency or jurisdiction (military) or the alleged victim was older than 18 years.

Investigation: During this process the CPS agency conducts interviews with family members, the alleged victim, and friends and relatives of the family. The CPS agency then determines whether the child is a victim of abuse, or is at risk of abuse or neglect. This determination often is called a disposition.

It is imperative to understand that the Child Protection Services is different in each state. While every U.S. state and the U.K. has a Child Protection Agency, the standards, conditions, and contact for each CPS agency is different.

CPS Child Abuse Statistics related to reporting abuse:

Approximately 3.2 million referrals of child abuse and neglect that included approximately
5.8 million children were made to CPS agencies.
About 62 percent (61.7%) of those referrals reached the second stage, became a report, and were either investigated or received an assessment.
More than 25 percent (25.2%) of the investigations that reached the report stage determined that at least one child was a victim of child abuse or neglect.

CAPTA

BigKid — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:12:51 +0000

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) is the key legislation used to address the issue of child abuse and neglect. CAPTA is known for providing Federal funding to States in support of prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment. In addition to state funding, CAPTA provides grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for demonstrations and projects in order to spread the word of child abuse.

CAPTA is responsible for identifying the Federal Government’s role in supporting research, evaluation, technical assistance, and data collection activities. In addition CAPTA also establishes the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect and mandates Child Welfare Information Gateway.

Each State has its own definitions of child abuse and neglect based on minimum standards set by Federal law. Federal legislation provides a foundation for States by identifying a minimum set of acts or behaviors that define child abuse and neglect. CAPTA defines child abuse and neglect as:

Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or
An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.

Within the minimum standards set by CAPTA, each State is responsible for providing its own definitions of child abuse and neglect. On the state level, most states recognize four major types of maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological maltreatment.

Through the enactment of CAPTA our nation has been able to see statewide improvement in average response time between maltreatment report and investigation, and a decrease in the percentage of children with substantiated reports of maltreatment who have a repeated substantiated report of maltreatment within 6 months.

Note: All information found here was found at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Child Maltreatment 2007 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009).

Child Abuse

BigKid — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:09:52 +0000

Sometimes we need to face the raw facts to grasp the true brutality that our nation is up against. To many people, child abuse and neglect is one of the most serious concerns of world. While some individual’s face this harsh reality every day, few people truly understand the impact of child abuse. It’s time to face the facts:

1. During 2007, an estimated 794,000 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect.

2. Children in the age group of birth to 1 year had the highest rate of victimization at 21.9 per 1,000 children of the same age group in the national population

3. More than one-half of the child victims were girls (51.5%) and 48.2 percent were boys

4. Approximately one-half of all victims were White (46.1%), 21.7 percent were African-American, and 20.8 percent were Hispanic.

5. An estimated 1,760 children died due to child abuse or neglect

6. The overall rate of child fatalities was 2.35 deaths per 100,000 children

7. More than 30 percent (34.1%) of child fatalities were attributed to neglect only; physical abuse also was a major contributor to child fatalities

8. More than three-quarters (75.7%) of the children who died due to child abuse and neglect were younger than 4 years old

9. Infant boys (younger than 1 year) had the highest rate of fatalities, at 18.85 deaths per 100,000 boys of the same age in the national population; and

10. Infant girls had a rate of 15.39 deaths per 100,000 girls of the same age.

11. In 2007, nearly 80 percent of perpetrators of child maltreatment (79.9%) were parents, 6.6% were other relatives of the victim. Nearly all perpetrators were younger than the age of 40.

12. Women comprised a larger percentage of all perpetrators than men.

13. Nearly 60 percent (59.0%) of victims suffered neglect;

14. More than 10 percent (10.8%) of the victims suffered physical abuse;

15. Less than 10 percent (7.6%) of the victims suffered sexual abuse;

16. Less than 5 percent (4.2%) of the victims suffered from psychological maltreatment.

All information found here was found through U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Child Maltreatment 2007 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009). Find more of their Child Abuse Statistics here.