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“Parents have a fundamental right to raise their children as they see fit, and society presumes that parents will act in their children’s best interest. When parents do not protect their children from harm and meet their basic needs – as with cases of child abuse and neglect – society has a responsibility to intervene and protect the health and welfare of these children.” • (A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: The Foundation for Practice)
Statistics: • In 2004, approximately 3.5 million suspected child abuse and neglect cases were reported in the US: a rate of 47.8 per 1000 children. • About 872,000 of these cases were confirmed (11.9 per 1000 children). • 48% of the victims were boys. • 52% of the victims were girls. • 10.3% of the child abuse victims were under age 1 year.
In 2000, an estimated 1,200 children were known to have died from abuse. • 43.7% of those who were killed were under 1 year old. • Neglect was most often the cause of a child abuse report in younger children (73% of cases for birth to 3 years). • Of the victims reported, 53.8% were white, 25.2% were black, and 17% were Latino.
Interesting statistical note: • From 2000, look at the breakdown of the SOURCES of child abuse and neglect reports:
Scenario # 1 • JoAnne, 14, lives in a skilled nursing facility. She has profound mental retardation and multiple disabilities, including a seizure disorder and cerebral palsy. She requires assistance for all of her daily living activities. When she was discovered to be 8 months pregnant, facility staff reported suspected child abuse. The perpetrator was never identified. Of the remaining 98 residents in the same facility, over 80% tested positive for a variety of venereal diseases.
Risk Factors for parents/family: • History of abuse in parent’s past • Poor social networks • Young parental age • Low parental education levels • Psychiatric history in family • Large families • Low socio-economic status • Single parent • Substance abuse • Unemployment • Violent community • Low self-esteem • Marital conflict
Risk factors for a child: • Being less than 3 years old • Disability (a child is 1.7 times more likely to be abused if he/she has a disability) • Being perceived by the parent as “different” -- special needs, chronic illnesses, or difficult temperaments … • Which may lead to a disruption in attachment … • Premature birth or illness at birth • Unplanned or unwanted pregnancy
Definition of Child Abuse • Child abuse and neglect: • Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation; • An act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm. • (“Child” in this definition means a person who is under the age of 18 or who is not an emancipated minor.)
Scenario # 2 • During a violent fight between her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, 8-year-old Kerry called 911. She told the operator that her mother’s boyfriend always hit her mother when he came home drunk. Kerry said that she was worried about her 5-year-old brother, Aaron, because he tried to help their mom and the boyfriend punched him in the face. As a result, Aaron fell, hit his head on the coffee table, and had not moved since. The operator heard yelling in the background and the mother screaming, “Get off the phone!” When the police and paramedics arrive, Aaron was unconscious and the mother was bruised.
Violence • “...violence occurs when someone uses their strength or their position of power to hurt someone else on purpose, not by accident. Violence includes threats of violence, and acts which could possibly cause harm, as well as those that actually do. The harm involved can be to a person’s mind and their general health and well-being, as well as to their body. Violence also includes harm people do to themselves, including killing themselves.”
Kinds of Abuse: • Physical Abuse • Sexual abuse (includes touching offenses, and exploitation) • Child neglect (includes refusal or delay of health care, abandonment, expulsion, inadequate supervision) • Educational neglect (includes permitted truancy, failure to enroll, inattention to special education need) • Emotional neglect (includes spouse abuse exposure, permitted drug or alcohol abuse, refusal or delay of psychological care)
Scenario #3: • Sammy, 13, has mild mental retardation and cerebral palsy. In counseling, he revealed that he was thinking about his future, including marriage and parenthood. Afraid that his children would be “retarded like me,” he was asked the cause of his disability. “I was born normal. My Dad used to come home drunk and get real mad. I remember he would throw me against the wall. My head hurt a lot. This happened all of the time, when I was little. Now I’m retarded.” Although Sammy understood the origins of his disability, he did not understand genetics or heredity. When told that his children would probably be born just like he had been, he was happy. He said, “I would never hurt my kids like my Dad [hurt me].”
Abuse and children with disabilities … • Children with disabilities are especially vulnerable to being abused. • People that abuse children with disabilities are usually people that the child knows and trusts. • Most children with disabilities can tell what happened.
Preconceived notions about people with disabilities … • They are asexual (?) • They cannot understand truth from fantasy (?) • They are unable to effectively, reliably communicate (?) • They are unable to: • Understand and learn (?) • Feel emotions (?) • Feel pain (?)
HOWEVER -- • They have sex drives and mature sexually just like anyone else … • They may have less information about sex, however … • They often have no prior sex education … • They may be more vulnerable to predators … • Predators (sexual) may look for someone who is weaker or gullible.
Realities for a child with a disability: • Privacy is greatly reduced or non-existent • Expectations from others about life and achievement are greatly reduced • Obedience and passivity are rewarded • Negative attitudes and being ignored are common • Few general friendships • Social Isolation • Difficulty being accepted in activities, clubs, etc.
Scenario # 4: • Jody, age 11, said that she was asleep in her bedroom and that her father came in and took off his robe and underwear. She stated that he got into bed with her and pulled up her nightgown and put his private part on her private part. She stated that he pushed hard and it hurt. Jody said that the same thing happened before while her mother was at work. Jody stated that she told her mother, but her father insisted that she was lying.
Consequences of Child Abuse: • Health and physical effects – bruises, burns, lacerations, broken bones, brain damage, hemorrhages, permanent disabilities, death, AND • Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to the physical effects of abuse; • Shaken Baby Syndrome (concussions, respiratory distress, seizures, loss of vision, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, paralysis, death …); • Nonorganic failure to thrive (growth retardation, cognitive and psychological problems, death); • Brain damage; • Infection with STDs and HIV; • Chronic sickness, lowered immune responses; • Coping strategies such as smoking, alcohol abuse, drug use, overeating …
More consequences: • Intellectual and cognitive development • Some studies show evidence of lowered intellectual and cognitive functioning in abused children as compared to children who have not been abused; • Increased risk of lower academic achievement and problematic school performance; • Brain damage can occur from abuse.
More consequences: • Emotional, Psychological, and Behavioral Development • This occurs with all kinds of abuse: • Behavioral problems • Low self-esteem • Depression and anxiety • Post traumatic stress disorder • Attachment difficulties • Eating disorders • Poor social relationships • Self-injurious behavior
BUT DON’T FORGET RESILIENCE!!! • Resilience, or “protective factors” that may ameliorate the effects of abuse: • Personal characteristics such as optimism, high self-esteem, high intelligence, a sense of hopefulness; • Social support and relationships with a supportive adult.
Scenario # 5 • Robert and Charlotte are the parents of a 9-month old son named Sebastian. Robert and Charlotte used various drugs together until Robert was arrested and sent to prison for distributing cocaine. Since his arrest, Charlotte has been living with different relatives and friends. Recently, she left Sebastian with her sister, who also has a history of drug abuse. Her sister went to a local bar and left Sebastian unattended. After hearing the baby cry for over an hour, neighbors called the police. When Charlotte arrived to pick up Sebastian, the police and the child protection workers were also there. It appeared that Charlotte had been using drugs.
What can we do as educators? • Develop and implement prevention programs for children and parents; • Identify and report suspected child abuse and neglect; • Recognize and report child abuse and neglect happening in the school system; • Develop a school or program policy for reporting;
Educators, continued -- • Keep CPS informed of changes or improvements in the child’s behavior and condition following the investigation; • Support the child through potentially traumatic events such as court hearings or out-of-home placement; • Provide support services for parents such as school-sponsored self-help groups; • Serve on child maltreatment multidisciplinary teams
If an abused child talks to you … • Reassure them that • they have done nothing wrong. • they are not in trouble with you if they talk to you. • you are there to help and listen. • you want the child to be safe. • they are brave for telling. • Do not make suggestions of what happened. • Touching is generally discouraged. • Eye contact is generally helpful. • Talk in a private area, but with others close by …
Scenario # 6 • Jackie is a 7-year-old girl who lives with her mother. Jackie’s mother often screams at her, calls her degrading names, and threatens to kill her when Jackie misbehaves. Jackie doesn’t talk in class anymore, doesn’t have any friends in her neighborhood, and has lost a lot of weight.
Sources: • Children’s Bureau, 2006 • US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006 • http://www.upstate.edu/gch/services/care/ • Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act – CAPTA • A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: The Foundation for Practice by Jill Goldman, Marsha K. Salus, Deborah Wolcott, and Kristie Y. Kennedy • National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System • National Clearing House on Child Abuse and Neglect website: www.calib.com/nccanch/statutes • National Resource Center for Respite and Crisis Care Services: Fact Sheet Number 36: Abuse and Neglect of Children with Disabilities
