Child Maltreatment Analysis

In the United States child maltreatment is a common universal problem that can effect children of all ages (Fang, Brown, Florence, & Mercy, 2012). Additionally, it is responsible for the main cause of mortalities among children who are the age of five years and younger with majority of the injuries inflicted by an adult caregiver (Schnitzer & Ewigman, 2005). Prior to the twentieth century, there were a number of non-governmental organizations committed to providing support to child abuse victims. However, due to the lack of resources by the organizations and state regulations, numerous children did not receive support and remained defenseless, hence “modern prosecutions for child abuse were virtually nonexistent” (Nelson, 2012, p. 191). Meanwhile, this put a lot of pressure on the federal government to get involved and help ensure that children who were victims of abuse would receive the proper aid and treatment. As a result, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) is recognized as the first nationally passed bill regarding maltreatment and neglect of children. The purpose of CAPTA is to provide knowledge of child abuse awareness and administer state funding to programs available on a federal level. The objective of this paper is to discuss the impact of maltreatment on children, how maltreatment is a public health

Child maltreatment is a preventable public health problem. Research has demonstrated that neighborhood structural factors (e.g. poverty, crime) can influence the proportion of a neighborhood’s children who are victims of maltreatment. A newer strategy is the identi- fication of potentially modifiable social processes at the neighborhood level that can also influence maltreatment. Toward this end, this study examines neighborhood-level data (maltreatment cases substantiated by Illinois’ child protection agency, 1995–2005, social processes measured by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, U.S. Census data, proportions of neighborhoods on public assistance, and crime data) that were linked across clusters of contiguous, relatively

The National Children 's Alliance reported that the number of unique cases of abused and neglected children in the United States stands at an annual rate of 700,000 and rising (as cited in ?U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,? 2016, p. ii). Sadly, this means that more than 1,900 new children become victims of abuse and neglect with each passing day. Neglect was the type of

Children can be victims of different types of maltreatment such as neglect, medical abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse (Maschi, Bradley, & Ward, 2009). “On average, nationally, there is a report of child maltreatment every 5 seconds, and child maltreatment is substantiated every

Within the United States, child maltreatment is becoming more and more commonly reported as there is over 3 million reports each year. Due to the constant increase of child maltreatment reports, society has become more aware of the issue, which has led to awareness campaigns. (Payne, 87). Even with societies’ knowledge of such abuse there are still serval child maltreatment cases that are not reported. The children that are victims of maltreatment pertains any sort of harm to the child whether it is by injury, neglect, physical, emotional, or even sexual abuse by someone who holds a major role in the child’s life, a parent or guardian figure (“What is Child Abuse”).

The conceptualisation of the long-term effects of child maltreatment reflects the surrounding circumstances which expose child abuse as a common event. Childhood abuse is a growing epidemic which evokes extreme emotional responses both privately and publicly and is viewed as a risk factor for an extensive variety of consequent problems. 2014 demonstrated that over 137,585 child abuse cases involving 99,210 Australian children were investigated (Australian Institute of Family Studies 2015). Abuse is categorised into neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. Contrary to the implied supposition that emotional abuse is less injurious in comparison to sexual and physical abuse, emotional abuse ranked as the most commonly substantiated harm type in Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australia Capital Territory (AIFS 2015). Childhood abuse occurs throughout a period where complex and ordered changes occur within a child’s physiological, psychological and sociological being. The following report will accentuate how the state of flux instigated by childhood abuse leaves children susceptible harmful consequences that will pervert or prevent a normal developmental procedure. Through psychological and physiological wellbeing, adult delinquency and the effects on different genders readers will be able to identify the harmful consequences childhood abuse places on victims and survivors.

Child Maltreatment continues to be a pressing issue throughout the United States. Over the years many children are victims of some type of maltreatment which in some cases can lead to fatalities. Maltreatment can have a negative impact on children and can leave numerous physical and psychological scars affecting the child’s adjustment not only at the time of abuse, but also into their young

Child abuse and neglect is a significant problem in the United States that should demand direct attention. There are approximately three million child abuse reports made each year, and these reports involve more than six million children. Out of four to five children that die daily, 70 percent are under three years of age. There are 90 percent of cases involving of children who know who know their perpetrator. The main factors of child abuse are physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. In many cases involving sexual abuse, there is usually not any medical evidence to be shown, and there are usually not any witness due to the sexual acts taking place in private places. That is why it is considered the “hidden” form of abuse. Neglect is a type of maltreatment related to the failure to provide needed, age-appropriate care.

According to federal law child abuse is deemed as any type of current act or failure to act upon on the part of a parent or caretaker which can result in death, serious physical or emotional pain, sexually explicit abuse or exploitation or an action or failure of an action in which anything presents an imminent risk of serious harm. According to the journal of Family Violence every year 3.3 to 10 million children endure and witness abuse and violence in their homes. Research also shows that even 900,000 children are classified as maltreated by parents and other guardians in the U.S alone. (Moylan p.1-2) Child abuse has been seen to make a big impact on children’s mental processes way into adulthood. Studies show that children who witness

In 1997, over 3,195,000 children were reported to child protective services (CPS) agencies (Lucinda Almond). Fifteen out of every 1,000 US children were substantiated as victims of child maltreatment (Lucinda Almond). Five categories were provided: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional maltreatment and others (Lucinda Almond). In the US many families reported for child abuse often display a number of problems, which most likely contribute to their likelihood for engaging in abusive behavior (Lucinda Almond). Many behaviors of child abuse are alcohol abuse, dependency, threat of harm, and bizarre discipline (Lucinda Almond). Neglect is the most common type of reported child maltreatment. Neglect is any action on the part of a caregiver that causes physical or emotional harm. When a child is neglected he or she may soon become depressed or suicidal. Abandonment is another type of neglect (Lyness D’Arcy). This is when a child is left alone for a

Out-of-home care (OOHC) refers to the care of children who are unable to live with their families, usually because they have been subjected to maltreatment, or are at risk of maltreatment (CFCA, 2015a). It has been shown that childhood maltreatment can have significant psychological and physiological effects on childhood development across multiple key domains, including cognitive, social-emotional, academic, and language (Perry, 2002; Perry, 2009; CFCA, 2014). In addition, numerous studies have shown that children who have suffered maltreatment are at a higher risk of experiencing speech and language delays than other children (Arora, Kaltner & Williams, 2014; Nathanson & Tzioumi, 2007; Chambers, Saunders, New, Williams & Stachurska, 2010).

Imagine coming home to your father or mother and them forcefully beating and having sexual intercourse with you. Imagine having so much fear you cannot tell them to stop or fight back. Imagine your older brother holding you down with his hand covering your mouth so you cannot scream. This scenario is tragically the everyday life for many children today. The constant wondering or trying to understand why they deserved this mistreatment. Unfortunately, “over three million children a year are suspected to be neglected or abused from reports from the Child Protection Services” (Bartholet). Children who have been neglected or abused have been linked to multiple behavioral problems that is a national, yet under alarmed, issue (Winters). These

In this chapter it is important as a social worker to recognize child maltreatment. “Maltreatment refers to physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse and neglect.”(Ashman & Hull, 2015) There are specific clues to recognize for maltreatment as a social worker. Physical abuse is when a child is being harmed physically such as, a child being beat to an extreme by their parent or guardian. There are different questions you may ask yourself as a social worker if you might think the child is being physically abused. An example of a question you might ask would be “Does this child get hurt too often for someone his or her age?”(Ashman & Hull, 2015) Sexual abuse includes any sexual activity between a child and an adult. “There are four

There are numerous long term effects that are a direct result of non-fatal child abuse and child neglect. A sad statistic and current reality is that “one child is reported abused or neglected every 34.9 seconds, according to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS).” (Orthmann & Hess, 2013) Child abuse covers everything from physical abuse, to child sexual abuse, as well as verbal abuse. Child neglect then covers the child who is neglected, and child endangerment. The vast majority of parents or caretakers who offend, offend by committing emotional or physical child abuse.

With child abuse and neglect being so prevalent globally, it is important to recognize why these types of maltreatment occur and is a relevant topic for all to explore. Many are interested in how child abuse and neglect affect the individuals who are victims as well as the use and efficacy of treatment procedures. Child abuse has serious physical and psycho-social consequences which adversely affect the health and overall well-being of a child. There are long-term consequences of experiencing these forms of maltreatment. Awareness and understanding needs to be brought to this devastatingly common crisis and the advancement of child abuse and neglect prevention needs to be encouraged.