a huge, heartbreaking problem

I spent a good chunk of my weekend completing the mandatory child abuse recognition and reporting course I am required to submit in order to renew my (retired) medical license every couple of years. If you are reading this blog, and you are a healthcare provider or a therapist in any field licensed by the state, you know what I'm talking about. You have to complete a couple of hours of required child abuse CME before you can renew your license. This is because you are, by definition, a mandated reporter.  You are obligated by law to report any incidence of child abuse or neglect whether you witness it yourself, it is shared with you, or it is something you otherwise remotely suspect...even if it occurs outside the scope of your practice, in the grocery store or on the playground, for instance. 

"The true character of a society

is revealed in how it treats its children."

~Nelson Mandela~

  

The reason we do this over and over again is that the process changes over time. The laws change and our awareness of the problem may dwindle. And...because child abuse and neglect are so damaging to our culture. To our future. We aren't required to update our understanding of heart disease, the newest treatments for cancer, or our grasp on mental illness to maintain our professional license. We are required to understand the nature, magnitude, and recognition of child abuse.

This is a huge, heartbreaking problem. It is estimated that a report of suspected child abuse is made every ten seconds in the United States. Over four million referrals are made every year. On average, five deaths occur every day due to child abuse/neglect. Even so, this may represent a gross underestimate given the problem of under reporting.

This is the thing: you may be reading this blog even though you're not a healthcare worker, therapist, or other mandated reporter. (This includes childcare workers, teachers, coaches, even librarians, among others). Perhaps you're a friend of mine, an on-line acquaintance, or even a previous patient of mine. So what does this have to do with you?

Whether you realize it or not, you are identified as a permissive reporter, meaning you are encouraged to report suspected child abuse even though you aren't required by law to report your concerns. While mandated reporters can file their reports through an on-line process, permissive reporters must contact Childline directly to register their concerns:

CHILDLINE

1-800-932-0313

AVAILABLE 24 HOURS/DAY

7 DAYS/WEEK

This is what you need to know. Your call will be kept confidential. Your call can be made anonymously. You do not have to prove that abuse did, indeed, take place. That's for the experts to determine. Your suspicion of possible abuse justifies your call. You will never face legal retribution for placing it. 

"Child abuse casts a shadow

the length of a lifetime."

~Herbert Ward~

I have written about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) before. (See "take this test," November 23, 2021). These are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (ages 0-17) and they include violence, abuse, and neglect, parental substance abuse, mental health issues, and household instability. ACEs are linked to long term, chronic health problems that manifest in adulthood, including heart disease, immune disorders, and mental health problems. These long term effects should compel all of us to take the problem of childhood trauma seriously. Personally. We should do all we can to identify it. To prevent it. To mitigate it. For more information on this important topic, this is a good reference:

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/fastfact.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Facestudy%2Ffastfact.html

Remember this:

"You can spend a lifetime

trying to forget a few minutes

of your childhood."

~www.HealthyPlace.com~

If you're interested in learning more about how to recognize and report possible child abuse, this is an excellent course:

https://www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu/

*

"Give me your past,

all your pain,

all your anger,

all your guilt.

Release it to me and

I will be a safe harbor for the life

you need to leave behind."

~Jewel E Ann~

jan

https://www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu/