Reporting Suspected Child Abuse: A Pilot Comparison of Middle and High School Counselors and Principals

• NCJ Number: 199645
• Journal: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 59-75
• Author(s): Maureen C. Kenny; Adriana G. McEachern
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A survey of 116 middle and high-school counselors and principals from across the United States elicited information on their experiences with child abuse reporting.

Abstract

Specific issues encompassed by the survey were whether school counselors and principals are making or assisting in reports of child abuse and whether they differ in their reporting behavior; if so, approximately how many reports have they made or assisted with during their employment in the school district; perceived deterrents to child abuse reporting; perceptions of their preparedness for reporting child abuse; and courses of action when presented with vignettes that involve child sexual abuse. The survey was completed by 81 school counselors and 35 school principals. Thirty percent of the counselors were men, and 70 percent of the school principals were men. Survey responses indicate that a greater percentage of school counselors have reported child abuse throughout their careers compared with principals; however, a greater percentage of school counselors failed to report suspected abuse compared with principals; and the average number of reports made by school counselors seemed small in relation to the number of years they had been employed. In the area of training, school counselors reported receiving more than did the principals. One possible explanation for the differences in training may be related to the types of programs from which school counselors and principals graduate. Regarding responses to case vignettes, generally very few principals and school counselors chose not to report the incidents presented. Thus, the majority of the respondents selected an appropriate course of action. Counselors' primary reasons for not reporting suspicions of child abuse were no visible physical signs of child abuse and the belief that child protective services was not competent to handle the case. Survey limitations and future research are discussed. 1 table and 30 references