I Called Once and Nothing Happened. Why Should I Try Again?
Sometimes a mandated reporter calls the hotline and later assumes Child Protective Services did nothing because the child was not removed from the home. But there are many other ways that CPS helps families that the mandated reporter who called in the report would not know about.
Taking action often means that CPS connects a family to resources to help them improve their parenting skills or help parents provide a safe environment for their children.
CPS can only remove a child from their home when the child is in “imminent danger of harm.” “Danger” is exposure to harm or injury and “imminent” means about to happen or immediately threatening. Thus, for CPS purposes, “imminent danger” means that the child is placed at risk of some harm or injury that could occur immediately.
Thankfully, most hotline referrals don’t rise to that level. But just because a child isn’t removed from the home, that doesn’t mean nothing has been done.
A mandated reporter should call the Hotline if he/she has formed a reasonable suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected, regardless of whether you’ve called before.
Definition:
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse occurs when a parent (or person legally responsible) commits a physical act (i.e. punching, beating, shaking, throwing, kicking, biting, burning) which causes serious physical injury to a child. Although the injury is not an accident, the parent or caretaker may not have intended to hurt the child. The injury often results from out of control rage and anger, which can lead to over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child’s age or condition. If a resulting injury is not considered serious, it may be considered a form of neglect.
(source: https://www.dorightbykids.org/working-definitions-of-sexual-abuse-physical-abuse-neglect/)
In Depth:
Working Definitions of Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse and Neglect
The following working definitions are derived from the legal definitions in the state laws. The language has been simplified in order to increase knowledge and understanding of the Law.
Sexual Abuse:
Any behavior which results in touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a child for the purpose of sexual gratification of the child and/or adult. It includes touching by the child and/or adult without or with clothing. Often, the sexual abuse occurs over time and may not be painful or cause physical injury to the child. The adult gets the child to participate by using rewards, threats, bribes and lying, and takes advantage of the child’s trust. This type of coercion by an adult, whom the child often loves, can result in long term emotional trauma that can last into adulthood.
Working Definition:
Sexual abuse occurs when a parent (or person legally responsible) commits or allows to be committed, a sexual act with a child:
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Physical Abuse:
Physical abuse occurs when a parent (or person legally responsible) commits a physical act (i.e. punching, beating, shaking, throwing, kicking, biting, burning) which causes serious physical injury to a child. Although the injury is not an accident, the parent or caretaker may not have intended to hurt the child. The injury often results from out of control rage and anger, which can lead to over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child’s age or condition. If a resulting injury is not considered serious, it may be considered a form of neglect.
Working Definition:
Physical abuse occurs when a parent (or person legally responsible) inflicts or allows to be inflicted a serious physical injury. These are limited to:
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Neglect:
Different kinds of neglect may result from things that a parent/caretaker does, as well as things that a parent/caretaker doesn’t do.
- Things that a parent does: Neglect occurs when a parent/caretaker does something to the child that results in physical, mental, or emotional harm; when a parent causes physical injuries which are harmful to the child, but are not as medically serious as those that would meet the definition of physical abuse; and when a parent misuses drugs or alcohol in a way that harms the child physically or emotionally.
- Things that a parent doesn’t do: Neglect occurs when a child is harmed physically, mentally or emotionally because a parent/caretaker fails to provide a minimal level of care for the child’s basic needs. Poverty, however, is not the same as neglect.
Working Definition:
Neglect occurs when a parent (or person legally responsible) fails to provide a minimum level of care by doing something that inflicts harm, allows harm to be inflicted, or creates an imminent danger of harm. The harm, however, does not result in the kind of serious physical injury that is defined as physical abuse.
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