Child assault and abuse cases are discovered, often in a nontraditional criminal way. Discuss the various ways in which child abuse cases are brought to the attention of authorities

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The child may reveal the abuse intentionally or accidentally. Family members who observe caregivers interacting with children may suspect or witness abuse. Professionals involved with the child may also suspect abuse based on behavioral, emotional, or verbal clues. Additionally, neighbors may see, hear, or suspect maltreatment based on their observations of the family. The three largest percentages of report sources were from such professionals as teachers (16.4 percent), law enforcement and legal personnel (16.7 percent), and social services staff (11.5 percent). Anonymous sources (9.0 percent), other relatives (7.0 percent), parents (6.8 percent), and friends and neighbors (4.4 percent), accounted for nearly all of the nonprofessional reporters. All states have established mandatory child abuse reporting laws that were designed to ensure that the agencies tasked with protecting children's welfare reported the incidents. Most child protective services maintain a 24-hour, toll-free hotline to receive reports of suspected child abuse. Reports to law enforcement agencies are usually made to emergency 911 dispatchers.