| Mandated
Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse
by Carolyn Hornik
There
may come a time when an educator might suspect a child
has been abused, maltreated, or neglected. The New York
City Department of Education has strict guidelines for
reporting of suspected child abuse. If an educator suspects
abuse, it is mandatory, as per these guidelines, to
report the suspected abuse.
The
Law
“A child is considered abused or maltreated if
the child is less than 18 years old (21 years old or
less if placed in a residential placement), if a parent
or other person legally responsible for the child’s
care, harms the child, creates substantial risk of harm,
or fails to exercise a minimum degree of care to protect
the child.”
Reporting
Procedures
All pedagogical and non-pedagogical employees of the
New York City Department of Education are mandated to
report suspected child abuse, immediately to a principal,
office head of a non-school site, or designee, a member
of a Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention Team. When
notified by school personnel, a principal has the primary
responsibility to report suspected abuse cases to New
York State Central Register for Child Abuse and Maltreatment,
(SCR), in Albany. Reporters need only to have reasonable
suspicion of child abuse, maltreatment or neglect to
file a report. A reporter does not have to possess certainty
before a report is made.
Reports
can be telephoned to 1-800-635-1522.
Signs
of Suspected Abuse
Note: Any of the following signs are not always a result
of abuse, maltreatment, or neglect and may be detected
in children who have not been abused, maltreated or
neglected. Educators, however, should be aware of and
take note of the following behavior in students:
-
unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, or welts in the
shape of an object
- black
eyes
-
broken bones
-
bite marks
- poor
self esteem
-
inability to love or trust others
- aggression
or disruptive behavior
-
intense anger or rage
- acting
out in the classroom
- acting
out sexually
- self-destructive
behavior, self-abusive behavior, or suicidal behavior
- sadness,
passiveness, withdrawn behavior, or depression
-
difficulty forming new relationships
- drug
or alcohol abuse
-
not wanting to go home after school
- fear
of certain adults
- secretiveness
- apathy
- hostility
- lack
of concentration
- eating
disorders
- unsuitable
clothing for weather
- dirty
appearance or evidence of being unbathed
- extreme
hunger
- apparent
lack of supervision
If
any of the above are detected, an educator may have
reasonable suspicion of abuse, maltreatment, or neglect
and is mandated to report these observations to the
school principal.
Related Liability
Any school employee, making a report, in good faith,
will have immunity from liability, civil, or criminal,
which might result from such action.
Under
Social Service Law, the willful and/or knowing failure
to report child abuse, may result in criminal action,
civil liability and/or Board disciplinary action against
the employee.
The
above information and additional information regarding
mandated reporting, may be found at:
http://www.nycenet.edu/NR/rdonlyres/35B49002-BBBD-4FE3-A6DF-25B3C86992AF/4622/ChancellorsRegulationA750ReportingofSuspectedChild.pdf
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/signs_child_abuse_p3.html
Any
questions may be addressed to:
Citywide Coordinator Child Abuse/Neglect Prevention
Program
110 Livingston Street, Room 502
Brooklyn, New York 11201
or
by calling 1-718-935-4058.
Please
note: As I am not an abuse expert, I am not a contact
person. If you wish to report suspected abuse contact
the agencies mentioned in the article or your school
administrator or guidance staff.
|
