NCJ Number
114761
Date Published
1987
Length
142 pages
Annotation
This document provides comprehensive and detailed guidelines that professionals dealing with cases of alleged child abuse and neglect can use to identify and report children at risk in their day-to-day professional work.
Abstract
The guidelines are intended to be used by physicians, educators, social workers, mental health and child care workers, and law enforcement professionals. Specific guides for deciding to report include assessing eyewitness observations; the child's statements; the parent's admissions; suspicious injuries; avoidable injuries; children left alone or in dangerous environments; signs of sexual abuse; severe physical deprivation or unmet medical needs; chronic absence from school; and parental indifference to the child's emotional problems and misbehavior. Severe parental disabilities are discussed as well as the problems of deserted children. The need for multi-disciplinary professional consultations in developing reports is also discussed.