CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT USER MANUAL SERIES

1 CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT USER MANUAL SERIES Depanment of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Administration on Children, Youth and Families Children's Bureau Office on CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT The Role of Professional CHILD Care Providers in Preventing and Responding to CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT Kathy Karageorge Rosemary Kendall 2008 Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Administration on Children, Youth and Families Children s Bureau Office on CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT Table of Contents PREFACE ..1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .. 3 1.

2 PURPOSE AND 2. RECOGNIZING CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT .. 9 Types of Maltreatment ..10 Cultural Diff erences ..18 3. REPORTING SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT .. 21 Legal Requirements ..21 Professional Responsibilities ..23 Contents of the Report ..23 Reporting Protocols for CHILD Care Programs ..24 Talking with the CHILD ..24 Talking with the Parent ..27 Difficulties Encountered When Reporting ..28 Next Steps ..30 4. MINIMIZING THE RISK OF MALTREATMENT IN CHILD CARE PROGRAMS .. 33 Staff Selection Procedures ..34 Staff Retention ..35 Staff Training and Development ..36 Staff Supervision and Support ..37 Operational Policies ..40 The Role of Professional CHILD Care Providers in Preventing and Responding to CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT 5.

3 PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT : THE ROLE OF FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDERS .. 47 Licensing and Training ..48 Family CHILD Care Practices .. 48 6. RESPONDING TO ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD MALTREATMENT IN CHILD CARE PROGRAMS .. 51 The Director s Response ..51 The Accused Person s 7. CARING FOR MALTREATED AND AT RISK CHILDREN .. 55 Needs of Maltreated Caregiving Skills and Techniques ..56 CHILD ABUSE Prevention: Personal Safety Programs for Children ..57 8. SUPPORTING PARENTS .. 59 Offering Ongoing Support for Responding to Families in Crisis ..61 Providing Parent Education and Information About Community Conclusion.

4 64 ENDNOTES .. 65 iiii Table of Contents APPENDICES: APPENDIX A GLOSSARY OF APPENDIX B RESOURCE LISTINGS OF SELECTED NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED WITH CHILD CARE AND WITH CHILD APPENDIX C STATE TELEPHONE NUMBERS FOR REPORTING CHILD 83 APPENDIX D HANDOUTS FOR APPENDIX E SAMPLE REPORT OF SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT .. 103 APPENDIX F RISK INDICATORS: TOUCH POLICY .. 105 APPENDIX G RISK INDICATORS: DEVELOPMENTAL EXPECTATIONS OF CHILDREN, PARTICULARLY THOSE WITH SPECIAL 107 APPENDIX H RISK INDICATORS: CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION 109 APPENDIX I FAMILY SUPPORT STRATEGIES .. 111 The Role of Professional CHILD Care Providers in Preventing and Responding to CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT iii Preface Each day, the safety and well-being of some children across the Nation are threatened by CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT .

5 Intervening effectively in the lives of these children and their families is not the responsibility of any single agency or professional group, but rather is a shared community concern and responsibility. The CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT User MANUAL SERIES has provided guidance on CHILD protection to hundreds of thousands of multidisciplinary professionals and concerned community members since the late 1970s. The User MANUAL SERIES provides a foundation for understanding CHILD maltreatment and the roles and responsibilities of various practitioners in its prevention, identification, investigation, assessment, and treatment. Through the years, the manuals have served as valuable resources for building knowledge, promoting effective practices, and enhancing community collaboration.

6 Since the last update of the User MANUAL SERIES in the early 1990s, a number of changes have occurred that dramatically affect each community s response to CHILD maltreatment. The changing landscape reflects increased recognition of the complexity of issues facing parents and their children, new legislation, practice innovations, and system reform efforts, as well as increased knowledge of the importance of prevention and early intervention of maltreatment, especially in early brain development and attachment. Significant advances in research have helped shape new directions for interventions, while ongoing evaluations help to explain what works.

7 The Office on CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT within the Children s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, has developed this third edition of the User MANUAL SERIES to reflect increased knowledge and the evolving state of practice. The updated and new manuals are comprehensive in scope while succinct in presentation and easy to follow, and they address trends and concerns relevant to today s professional. This MANUAL , The Role of Professional CHILD Care Providers in Preventing and Responding to CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT , provides information on the roles and responsibilities of CHILD care providers in preventing, recognizing, and reporting CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT within and outside early childhood programs.

8 The MANUAL presents an overview of prevention efforts, reporting laws, caring for maltreated children, and ways to support parents and professionals who work with families. The primary audience for this MANUAL includes early childhood professionals in a variety of settings, including private and public CHILD care centers, Head Start programs, preschools, nursery schools, and family CHILD care homes. It also includes early childhood instructors, home visitors, parent educators, program administrators, and trainers. In addition, other professionals and concerned community members The Role of Professional CHILD Care Providers in Preventing and Responding to CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT 1 may consult the MANUAL for a greater understanding of CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT .

9 The Role of Professional CHILD Care Providers in Preventing and Responding to CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT builds on the information presented in A Coordinated Response to CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT : The Foundation for Practice. Readers are encouraged to consult that MANUAL as it provides a more in-depth understanding of what constitutes CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT , its underlying causes, and how the CHILD protection system works. User MANUAL SERIES This MANUAL along with the entire CHILD ABUSE and NEGLECT User MANUAL SERIES is available from CHILD welfare Information Gateway. For a full list of available manuals and ordering information, contact : CHILD welfare Information Gateway 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW Eighth Floor Washington, DC 20024 Phone: (800) FYI-3366 or (703) 385-7565 Fax: (703) 385-3206 E-mail: The manuals also are available online at 2 Preface ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PRIMARY AUTHORS Kathy Karageorge, , a senior associate with ICF International, has more than 12 years experience in quantitative and qualitative research design, survey development, and program evaluation on issues related to children, youth, and families.

10 She develops products for CHILD welfare Information Gateway, including fact sheets on adoption and on CHILD maltreatment. She also has worked on a wide array of topic areas, including the costs of preventing CHILD maltreatment. Rosemary Kendall, , a senior associate with ICF International, has more than 30 years experience in early care and education and family education. She is currently an Information Specialist with the National CHILD Care Information and Technical Assistance Center. Dr. Kendall has written for publications on topics related to parent involvement, early literacy, and CHILD ABUSE prevention. She has contributed throughout her career to collaborative community efforts, including serving on advisory and governing boards.