Child Abuse Definitions

Physical Abuse:

The non-accidental physical injury of a child inflicted by a parent or caretaker, which ranges from superficial bruises and welts to broken bones, burns, serious internal injuries, and in some cases death.

Physical Neglect:

The withholding of, or failure to provide a child the adequate food, shelter, clothing, hygiene, medical care and/or supervision needed for normal growth and development.

Sexual Abuse:

The sexual exploitation of a child by a parent, caretaker, or other person legally responsible for the child's care. Such activities may range from non-touching offenses such as exhibitionism, to touching offenses that range from fondling, up to and including intercourse. In addition, engaging a child in acts or conduct, which constitutes prostitution, sexual performance, or production of pornographic materials.

Emotional Abuse:

Acts or omissions of a parent or caretaker that could cause serious conduct, cognitive, affective, or other mental disorders. An example would be the constant use of verbally abusive language to harshly criticize or denigrate a child.

Emotional Neglect:

A single indicator is not evidence of child abuse. Many children exhibit multiple indicators for a variety of reasons, not necessarily due to abuse.

• Offers an inadequate or inappropriate explanation for injuries to child .
• Disciplines the child too harshly considering the child's age or what he/she did
• Takes an unusual amount of time to obtain medical attention for child.
• Attempts to conceal the child's injury
• Gives different explanation for the same injury
• Takes the child to a different doctor or hospital for each injury
• Unrealistic expectations of child
• Encourages child to engage in prostitution or sexual acts
• Sees the child as bad, evil, etc.
• Blames or belittles child for family problems
• Parental drug and/or alcohol abuse
• Exposes child to unsafe living conditions
• Parent shows no emotion toward child
• Parent has poor impulse control
• Is isolated from friends, relatives and neighbors
• Is geographically isolated
• Childcare stresses
• Financial stresses
• Is apathetic, feels nothing will change
• Parent suffers from long-term chronic illness
• Treats children in the family unequally

Recognizing and Responding to Children's Disclosures

Very seldom will a child disclose abuse immediately after the first incident has occurred. Victimized children often experience a great sense of helplessness and hopelessness and think that nobody can do anything to help them. Also, victimized children may try to make every attempt to protect an abusive parent. Or, they may be extremely reluctant to report any abuse for fear of what the abuser may do to them. Typically, a child may not report abuse for months and even years, particularly if the abuser is someone close to the child.

Sometimes an outcry may not be verbal but portrayed in a drawing left behind inadvertently for the teacher, the counselor, or a trusted relative to see. Another form of outcry may be seen in a child who will frequently go to the school nurse complaining of vague, somatic symptoms, often without organic basis, hoping that the nurse will guess what has happened. This way, in their minds, they have not betrayed nor will they be punished, since they did not directly report the abuse. Some children, while totally reluctant to report or discuss the abuse, may be more willing to express their apprehensions and anxieties about the perpetrator or the home situation. In some cases, abused children will make an outcry .which may take the extreme form of a suicide gesture or attempt.

Children may disclose abuse in a variety of ways. They may blurt it out to you, especially after you have created a warm nurturing environment. They may come privately to talk directly and specifically about what is going on. But more common ways include:

Indirect Hints: "My brother wouldn't let me sleep last night." "My babysitter keeps bothering me." A child may talk in these terms because he/she hasn't learned more specific vocabulary, feels too ashamed or embarrassed to talk more directly, has promised not to tell, or for a combination of these reasons.

Appropriate response: would be invitations to tell you more, such as "Is it something you are happy about?" And open-ended questions such as "can you tell me more?" or "What do you mean?" Gently encourage the child to be more specific. It is important that the child use his/her own language and that no additional words are given to the child.

Disguised Disclosure: "What would happen if a girl told someone her mother beat her?" "I know someone who is being touched in a bad way." Here the child might be talking about a friend or sibling, but is just as likely to be talking about her/himself.

Encourage the child: to tell you what he/she knows about the "other child." It is probable that the child will eventually tell you about whom he/she is talking.

Disclosure with Strings Attached: "I have a problem, but if I tell you about it, you have to promise not to tell anyone else." Most children are all too aware that some negative consequences will result if they break the secret of abuse. Often the offender uses the threat of these consequences to keep the child silent.

Responding to Disclosures

In school, if a child discloses during a lesson, acknowledge the child's disclosure and continue the lesson. Afterward, find a place where you can talk with the child alone.

When talking to the Child:

• Express your belief that the child is telling you the truth.
• Reassure the child that it is not his/her fault, and that he/she is not bad and did nothing to deserve this.
• Assure the child that they did the right thing by telling.

When talking to the Child:

• Do not disparage or criticize the child's choice of words or language.
• Do not suggest answers to the child.
• Do not probe or press for answers beyond what is needed to establish a reasonable cause to suspect.
• Do not display shock or disapproval of parent(s), child, or the situation.
• Do not talk to the child with a group of interviewers.
• Do not make promises to the child, about "not telling" or about now the situation will work out.
• Do not contact family members in cases of intra-familial (within the family) abuse; allow the trained investigators to speak with the family.

Let the child know you want to help him/her. The fact that the child has chosen this particular moment to disclose is important. Tell them, from the beginning, that they are times when you too may need to get help with a problem. In order to help them, it may be necessary for you to get some special people involved. Assure the child that you will respect his/her need for confidentiality by not discussing the abuse with anyone other than these directly involved in getting help. And, if you can explain the process to them, it may help with their initial fear.

To report a suspected case of child abuse in New York State, please call 1-800-342-3720

After a Report has been made:

If it is necessary for Child Protective Services or a Law Enforcement official to interview the child at the school or agency, you should cooperate and assist by providing access for such an interview. Unless there are compelling reasons against it, a staff member the child trusts could be present during the interview to provide support for the child. This situation may also arise when the report did not originate from your school or agency.