Child Abuse

Prevention
Month: April
2016
Hannah Roberts
UNCP Field Work Agency Project
Richmond County CPS

Covering the Basics

What is abuse and neglect?
Any child who is under the age of 18 is considered to be abused or
neglected if a parent or caregiver:

Inflicts or allows the child to be inflicted of a physical injury by any means

other than accidental that creates substantial harm or risk of substantial
harm.

Fails to provide proper supervision, adequate food, clothing, shelter,

education, and medical care.

Commits or allows any act or form of sexual abuse against the child.

Why does abuse happen?

Stress

Sickness or
illness

Lack of
parenting
skills

Substance
Abuse

Financial
issues

Perpetrator
was abused
as a child

Alcohol Abuse

Facts and Statistics

Did you know that:

Families with 4 or more kids are at a higher risk of being neglected

Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the U.S

The U.S has one of the worst records among industrialized nations- losing on
average between 4 and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect.

A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds

In 2012 state agencies identified an estimated 1,640 children who died as a

result of abuse and neglect.

More than 70% of them were ages 2 and younger.

Reasons why kids dont tell?

No-one asked me: We cant expect kids

to bluntly come out and tell about being
abused. Most of them are waiting for
someone to ask.

They dont know its happening: The

necessity of dislocation at the times
makes it difficult to communicate apart
from the dysfunction of fragmented
emotion. When kids dont know whats
happening is wrong, how can we expect
them to tell?

They told me not to tell and I wanted to

be good: Often times adults tell their
kids not to tell, and with them being a
child, they have no rational power to
determine if they could be disobeyed.
They believe in being good in order to be
safe.

Reasons why
continued.

They told me they would hurt me if I

told: As adults we know this to be a
threat, but as a child; they know no
better than to believe it. Abused
children live everyday with the
knowledge that telling someone could
get them hurt.

There was no-one to tell: You cant tell

someone who going to tell what you
have told. Teachers, nurses, and adults
in your life are friends with your
parents.

I deserve whats happening: When

the parent continually tells the child
they have been bad, they begin to loose
self-esteem and think that they deserve
the maltreatment they are receiving.

Impact on childrens psychological

development
Low Self
Esteem

Behaviora
l
Problems

Self Harm

Lack of
trust

Anxiety

Ties to Society:
Warning Signs

Abusers

81.2% of abusers know the child personally (family, caregiver,

neighbor)

36.3% of perpetrators are age 20 to 29

Of the reports made 45.2 were male perpetrators and 53.6 were
female.

Research shows strong

correlation between animal
abuse, child abuse, and
domestic violence.
75% of of violent offenders
have early records of animal
cruelty.
Animal Abuse is a warning
sign of a bigger problem!!!

In Conclusion..

As CPS workers, you could be the only hope of saving a child. Thats
something that should not be taken lightly.

As a community, we need to be more aware and active in our childrens

lives and help them understand what abuse is and that it is NOT ok.

As a society, look our for warning signs of abuse: animal cruelty,

domestic violence, and neglect

References:
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/neglect/chapterthree
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/cmll.pdf