Addressing Child Abuse Research Articles

Report of the 1997 Child Abuse and Physician Leadership Conference

On September 11-13, 1997, in Philadelphia, a group of 100 physicians specializing in child abuse from throughout the United States and Canada gathered to discuss issues of common interest. The program included workshops charged with developing resolutions to address child abuse as a health care issue and to explore child abuse as a new pediatric subspecialty. The following report summarizes the conference findings.

Understanding Abusive Families: An Ecological Approach to Theory and Practice • Violence and Sexual Abuse at Home: Current Issues in Spousal Battering and Child Maltreatment • Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Healing Through Group Work: Beyond Survival

Understanding Abusive Families: An Ecological Approach to Theory and Practice • Violence and Sexual Abuse at Home: Current Issues in Spousal Battering and Child Maltreatment • Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Healing Through Group Work: Beyond Survival

Curricular Models for training Medical Students and Physicians to Detect and Address Child Abuse

Summary There are many obstacles to overcome in the education of medical professionals who must be equipped to manage cases of child abuse and neglect. These include several possible destructive responses to the problem, including denial, over-zealousness and ambivalence. A successful training program should recognize these responses and minimize their occurrences by providing incremental additions to the students' knowledge base commensurate with their level of training and experience. Medical students must first be given a knowledge base on which clinical experience can be built. As the student progresses, educational opportunities can be offered to meet the student's needs and interests. Residency training in Pediatrics and Family Medicine must also include a core base of knowledge on which to build, as well as offering case oriented training opportunities and electives which cover the field of child abuse in depth. This training should continue beyond formal medical training and be part of the educational program for the medical practitioner.

Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Laws

Legislation which requires professionals to report suspected child abuse constitutes a major facet of social policy directed at addressing child maltreatment. Mental health professionals in general, and professionals who treat offenders in particular, are frequently made aware of situations of child abuse which are required to be reported to child protection agencies. The present paper reviews the literature relevant to child abuse reporting in settings where offenders are treated. Following the review, specific recommendations are offered for managing reports of offenders suspected of child abuse.

Child Protection: With Liberty and Justice for All

The Bill of Rights guarantees civil liberties that are envied around the world. Family privacy, freedom from government interference, and the right to raise children according to individual beliefs are among the fundamental rights secured by the Constitution. These rights and freedoms are held as sacrosanct by most citizens, yet they give rise to reservations when there are conflicts between the rights of parents and children. This article examines threats to the civil liberties of parents believed to have abused their children and implications for the current system of investigating and addressing child abuse. Children have fewer constitutional rights than adults and are less able to exercise their rights because of immaturity and lack of knowledge. Legal representation and due process for youths in delinquency cases became a right following the Gault case in 1967, spilling over into abuse and neglect cases and bringing a legal and procedural perspective into child abuse proceedings in juvenile court. Possibly as compensation for the incomplete rights and natural vulnerability of children, the standard of proof in abuse and neglect cases is less rigorous than in either criminal or delinquency cases. One is not required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the abuse occurred, thus tilting the balance in favor of protecting the child at a finite risk of violating the rights of the parents. Society, through the courts, is responsible for protecting children and removing them from dangerous homes while ensuring that parents' rights are not unjustly undermined. Even though this task is successfully accomplished in many cases, there are sufficient loopholes to permit injustices to occur. These loopholes arise because of the less-rigorous standard of proof required; the vagueness of the child protection laws, which allows for varied interpretations; and de facto problems in obtaining legal representation for parents. The low level of caseworker preparation, lack of alternative services, and vulnerability of caseworkers who feel they will be blamed if harm comes to a child contribute to the likelihood that some parents' rights will be impugned. Family privacy, freedom from government interference, and due process of law are the parental rights that may suffer when in conflict with a child's right to be protected from harm. When the parents' right to privacy and freedom of choice clashes with a child's right to protection, the state must adjudicate the conflicting rights. The child's right to life and protection is preeminent, and family privacy and freedom from government interference are secondary. Due process then becomes an important safeguard for parents' rights. When conflicts are settled through legal channels, one party wins and the other loses. When a child is removed from a parent's custody, the parent loses his or her rights, and the child, although protected, often loses also if out-of-home placement is prolonged and the family is not reunited. The child loses a portion of the bonding, identification, commitment, and continuity provided by the parents. There is evidence that involuntary termination of parental rights sometimes creates additional problems for the child. Borgman (1981) found that the majority of children in a study of abused and neglected children placed in adoptive homes resisted adoption, and nine of 21 adopted children were returned to the group care facility. Whether removal from parents is temporary or permanent, the child undergoes significant loss in exchange for safety. Removal of a child from the home without certain safeguards has recently been challenged as a threat to the child's civil liberties. In a recent federal court decision (LaShawn A. v. Barry, 1991), the judge found the District of Columbia's foster care system in violation of the Constitution. The court concluded that the system removes children from their homes instead of providing simple, basic services that would allow the children to remain with their families; fails to make plans for children that would allow them either to return to their families or be permanently placed; and maintains a network of illegally overcrowded foster homes. …

Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Laws: Issues and Implications for Policy

Child maltreatment has been deemed a national emergency, with more than 2.5 million cases of abuse and neglect reported each year. Social policies designed to address child maltreatment include state statutes requiring professionals to report suspected child maltreatment to authorities. Mandatory reporting laws, while of potential benefit in the identification of abused and neglected children, can often result in higher or lower rates of reporting of abuse. The present paper reviews the functions of mandatory reporting statutes in professional contexts. Factors related to both low and high rates of reporting are discussed. In addition, suggestions for social policy are reviewed.