Child Abuse

Child Abuse - actions involving physical or emotional injury to a child as well as neglect of the child's basic needs.

We define abuse and neglect cases as those that would encompass maltreatment of a child in physical, emotional, or sexual areas. Abuse is an act of commission on the part of the parent or caregiver, voluntary, whereas, neglect is an act of omission, in which something important to the child's welfare is not provided. A lot of instances of neglect is involuntary due to the parent or caregiver being ill, incarcerated, unemployed, etc. In 2000, three million referrals were made in concern of the welfare of children. 879,000 were victims of neglect or abuse; 63% suffered neglect; 11% physical abuse; 10% sexual abuse, and 8% suffered psychological abuse. Be mindful that these only include the cases that come to the attention of community agencies.

Children are a high-risk group for developing all sorts of physical and emotional problems. Children are not fully developed with the skills and defenses needed to deal with life itself and its stresses. Children just require and need care, love, and guidance. A lot of children suffer from serious disorders including: child psychoses, retardation, and physical abuse.

A lot of private and government agencies offer child protective services. The state social service agencies including: the department of social services, human resources, and human services process most of the abuse cases. They provide counseling to the parent(s) or issue out court referrals. Community services are provided to the children while their caregiver is being taught the skills needed to better care for that child. If the child is seriously endangered than, foster care comes into place. But, there has also been controversy with children and foster homes. Some reports say that children have been raped, abused, and neglected in foster homes as well. Another approach to help abused children is (PA),