Children's Trust

Health care providers are in a unique position to assist in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. These professionals have regular access to children and families by providing routine appointments, immunizations, and interventions to common illnesses.

Clues in the Doctor or School Nurse’s Office

• Malnourishment may be a sign of abuse or neglect.
• A child may complain frequently of pain without injury which may be an attempt to garner help without directly betraying parents.
• Lack of necessary or appropriate medical attention is another sign. For example, if you know a child is asthmatic but has no prescription medication, or is using an inappropriate drugstore remedy, the child may be medically neglected.
• A child who is constantly tired may refl ect a lack of routine or neglect at home.
• Most obvious of all, if the child has severe welts or bruises, marks on the face or above the shoulders, difficulty sitting or walking, or urinary tract infections, potential physical or sexual abuse should be reported.

Referrals to Assist in Prevention

Primary care providers emphasize the prevention of disease and the promotion of health and wellbeing.With this foundation, they have a natural role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Activities that promote the health of children and their parents and assist in prevention include:

• Prenatal health care that improves pregnancy outcomes and health among new mothers and infants
• Early childhood health care that supports normal development and the health of young children
• Family-centered birthing and perinatal coaching that strengthens early attachment between parents and their children
• Home health visitation that provides support, education, and community links for new parents
• Support programs that assist parents of children with special health and developmental problems.

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Children spend many hours each day for several consecutive years in child care. The National Association for the Education of Young Children, an organization that provides accreditation to child care centers, says children fare better emotionally, socially, and cognitively when child care centers meet key criteria. How does your child care center rate in the following areas?

• Sufficient staffing: a high staff-to-child ratio
• Staff with previous experience working with children in a group setting
• Smaller group sizes: not too many children grouped together
• High levels of staff education and specialized training
• Low staff turnover and stability among the administration
• Higher levels of staff compensation

Child care workers’ frequent contacts with children put them in a good position to recognize victimized children and because of this, child care workers are legally mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect. A report of child abuse is not an accusation. It is a request by a reporter who has reasonable suspicion that abuse or neglect may be occurring for more information. A report does not mean that the child care worker must determine that abuse and/or neglect has occurred; that is the job of Child Protective Services.

Even though a child care worker should fully understand the legal obligation to report, it may be very difficult to do so because it may seem easier not to get involved and to believe that someone else will eventually make the report. This “wait and see” approach can be very dangerous, even deadly, for a child who is being mistreated. Providing emotional and educational support to families in crisis is one way to prevent child abuse. Other ways in which child care professionals can serve as extended support systems for families are:

• Developing positive, non-judgmental relationships with parents
• Being alert to signs of stress in parents
• Communicating regularly with parents concerning children’s progress
• Providing parent education
• Providing opportunities for parents to become involved in their child’s care
• Providing information about community resources
• Modeling developmentally appropriate practices

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Make the report as soon as possible after receiving the information that causes you to suspect abuse or neglect.

Do not wait for proof. The law requires you to report when you have reason to believe abuse or neglect has occurred.

Do not try to investigate yourself or excessively question the child. Leave the investigation for professionally trained caseworkers or law enforcement officers. You can request notifi cation of the investigation’s outcome if you wish.

Follow your employer’s procedures regarding notifi cation of supervisors or others. If you are a mandatory reporter, remember that you are required by state law to report, and no policy should interfere with this law.

What Happens After I Make a Report?
Assuming the incident has happened in a family home, your report will be taken by DSS Hotline Staff. The screening process begins and the following additional steps will be taken:

• If the worker feels the information is credible and indicates that abuse or neglect has occurred or is at risk of occurring, your report will be referred to a DSS Assessment Worker for an investigation.
• The Assessment Worker will investigate within a few hours to a few days, depending on the potential severity of the situation. The Assessment Worker will speak with the child, the parents, and other people in contact with the child (such as doctors, teachers, or child care providers). The purpose for the investigation is to determine if abuse or neglect has occurred and if it may happen again.
• If the Assessment Worker’s investigation fi nds that no abuse or neglect occurred, or what happened does not meet your state’s defi nition of abuse or neglect, the case will be closed. South Carolina’s defi nition of child abuse and neglect can be found at www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/defi neall.pdf .
• If the Assessment Worker feels the children are at risk of harm, the family will be referred to services to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. These may include mental health care, medical care, parenting skills classes, employment assistance, and concrete support such as fi nancial or housing assistance.
• In severe cases, when a child’s safety cannot be ensured, the child will be removed from the home and temporarily placed with relatives or in foster care. Home studies are conducted to determine whether the placements are in compliance with state standards and safety can be ensured. A court-ordered treatment plan is put into place and the parent(s) compliance monitored. Typically, once the conditions have been met and the healing process is underway, the children can be reunited with their family.

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If you suspect abuse or neglect, reporting it can protect the child and get help for the family. South Carolina identifies certain professionals as mandatory reporters. However, any concerned person can and should report suspected child abuse or neglect. Any report made in good faith and without malice will not suffer any repercussions. “Good faith” means the reporter took the appropriate steps to try and learn the facts about the situation. The term “without malice” means that there was no intention to injure or violate the rights of any of the family members involved in the report.

YOUR SUSPICION OF CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT IS ENOUGH TO MAKE A REPORT. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PROVIDE PROOF. SOUTH CAROLINA LAW PROTECTS PEOPLE WHO MAKE GOOD FAITH REPORTS OF CHILD ABUSE.

How Do I Make a Report?

If you have reason to believe that a child is being harmed within his or her home, contact your county Department of Social Services (DSS) office (http://www.state.sc.us/dss/counties.html). If you see suspicious activity or know the abuse occurred outside the home environment, contact your local law enforcement agency. You will be asked the following information, which may include:

• Reason for reporting
• The child’s name and name of other siblings living in the household
• Present location of child(ren)
• The suspected perpetrator’s name (if known)
• A description of what you have seen or heard including the date of occurrence, your observations, and witnesses to the abuse
• Any agencies that you know are already involved with the family
• Your name and phone number (can be anonymous)

Names of reporters are kept confidential. Families reported for abuse or neglect cannot obtain the names of reporters. Although you may make your report anonymously, only reporters whose identity can be confirmed are entitled to notification of the investigation’s outcome.

For more tips and resources for protecting children and promoting strong families, download the complete South Carolina Community Prevention Resource Guide here.

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Mandatory reporters must report when, in their professional capacity, they have received information that gives them reason to believe that a child’s health or well-being has been or may be endangered by abuse or neglect. If the mandatory reporter has reason to believe that abuse or neglect is occurring or has occurred, reports must be made to a Department of Social Services (DSS) county office or law enforcement agency.

If the mandatory reporter has reason to believe that a child is being or has been abused or neglected by someone other than a parent, guardian, or person responsible for a child’s welfare, reports must be made to a law enforcement agency.

As with all reports of abuse or neglect, the identity of the reporter will remain confidential. A reporter acting in good faith (with reason to believe there is child endangerment) is immune from civil and criminal liability.

By South Carolina Law [20-7-510(A)] the following professionals are REQUIRED to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect:

• Physicians, nurses, dentists, optometrists
• Medical examiners, coroners, and their employees
• Any other medical, emergency medical services, mental health or allied professional
• Members of the clergy, Christian Science practitioners, religious healers
• School teachers, counselors, principals, assistant principals
• Social or public assistance workers
• Substance abuse treatment staff
• Child care workers in day care centers and foster care facilities
• Police or law enforcement officers
• Undertakers, funeral home directors and employees
• Persons responsible for photo processing or films
• Judges

For more information on mandatory reporting or training please contact:

Children’s Law Center
803.777.1646
www.childlaw.sc.edu

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