_____________________________ Child Abuse Identification and Reporting: The Pennsylvania Requirement
Serious Mental Injury Under Pennsylvania law, serious mental injury (or emotional or psychological abuse) involves an act or failure to act by a perpe- trator that causes nonaccidental serious mental injury. Serious mental injury is “a psychological condition, as diagnosed by a physician or licensed psychologist, including the refusal of appropriate treatment, that renders a child chronically and severely anxious, agitated, depressed, socially withdrawn, psychotic, or in reasonable fear that his or her life or safety is threatened, or that seriously interferes with a child’s ability to accomplish age-appropriate development and social tasks” [45]. The following behaviors could constitute emotional abuse [6; 11; 12]: • Verbal abuse: Belittling or making pejorative statements in front of the child, which results in a loss or negative impact on the child’s self-esteem or self-worth • Inadequate nurturance/affection: Inattention to the child’s needs for affection and emotional support • Witnessing domestic violence: Chronic spousal abuse in homes where the child witnesses the violence • Substance and/or alcohol abuse: The parent/ caretaker is aware of the child’s substance misuse problem but chooses not to intervene or allows the behavior to continue • Refusal or delay of psychological care: Failure
• Molestation: Touching, fondling, or kissing the child in a provocative manner; for example, fondling the child’s genital area or long, lingering kisses • Sexual penetration: The penetration of part of the perpetrator’s body (e.g., finger, penis, tongue) into the child’s body (e.g., mouth, vagina, anus) • Rape: Usually involves sexual intercourse without the victim’s consent and usually involves violence or the threat of violence • Commercial sex act: Any sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person Serious Physical Neglect Pennsylvania law defines serious physical neglect of a child as repeated, prolonged, or egregious failure to supervise a child in a manner that is appropriate considering the child’s devel- opmental age and abilities, and/or the failure to provide a child with adequate essentials of life, including food, shelter, or medical care, when committed by a perpetrator that endangers a child’s life or health, threatens a child’s well-being, causes bodily injury, or impairs a child’s health, development, or functioning. Due to the ambiguity of definitions of child abuse and neglect, CAPTA provides minimum standards that each state must incorporate in its definition of neglect. Examples of child neglect may include [6; 11; 12]: • Failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, hygiene, supervision, and protection • Refusal and/or delay in medical attention and care (e.g., failure to provide needed medical attention as recommended by a healthcare professional or failure to seek timely and appropriate medical care for a health problem) • Abandonment, characterized by desertion of a child without arranging adequate care and supervision. Children who are not claimed within two days or who are left alone with no supervision and without any information about their parents’/caretakers’ whereabouts are examples of abandonment. • Expulsion or blatant refusals of custody on the part of parent/caretaker, such as ordering a child to leave the home without adequate arrangement of care by others • Inadequate supervision (i.e., child is left unsupervised or inadequately supervised for extended periods of time)
or delay in obtaining services for the child’s emotional, mental, or behavioral impairments
• Permitted chronic truancy: The child averages at least five days per month of school absence and the parent/guardian does not intervene • Failure to enroll: Failure to enroll or register a child of mandatory school age or causing the child to remain at home for nonlegitimate reasons • Failure to access special education services: Refusal or failure to obtain recommended services or treatment for remedial or special education for a child’s diagnosed learning disorder Trafficking and Exploitation It can be difficult to identify and intervene to stop human trafficking and exploitation, because it is hidden and even people who interact with victims may not recognize that it is happening. However, in many cases, women and children are considered the typical victims of human trafficking. Trafficking and exploitation are real risks to child safety and well-being and are reportable as forms of abuse.
8
Book Code: DPA1525
EliteLearning.com/Dental
Powered by FlippingBook