What is Child Abuse and Neglect?

Child maltreatment includes physical abuse, child neglect and sexual abuse. Physical abuse is defined as bodily injury to a child resulting in skin bruising, bleeding, burns, fracture of any bone, bleeding within the skull, soft tissue swelling, failure to thrive, malnutrition, or death, when the injury is not otherwise justifiably explained.

A neglected child is one without proper prenatal care, and/or who lacks subsistence, education, medical or other care necessary for the child’s well being due to the conduct or omission of the parents, guardian or other custodian.

Sexual abuse includes rape, molestation, incest, prostitution or pornographic activities or other similar form of sexual exploitation harming or threatening a child.

What Causes Child Abuse and Neglect?

Child abuse and neglect are complex and multidimensional problems. Experts agree that they occur as a result of multiple risk factors that interact and reinforce each other. The existence of any risk factor in a child's life does not guarantee abuse of the child, just that the potential for abuse is greater. Child abuse and neglect risk factors can be grouped into three categories:

Risk Factors

This is not an all-inclusive or exhaustive list. The existence of these factors in a child's life does not mean the child will suffer from abuse, just that the potential for abuse or neglect is greater than if these factors did not exist in the child's life.

How Can We Prevent Abuse and Neglect?

Just as there are factors that put a child at risk for abuse and neglect, there are also factors that can help protect a child from abuse and neglect:

Protective Factors

Three levels of child abuse prevention efforts

Providing treatment to abusive and neglectful families alone cannot break the cycle of child abuse and neglect. Communities must develop strategies to prevent abusive and neglectful patterns from occurring to begin with. Prevention programs have the potential to provide a more complete and effective support system for at-risk families.

Primary prevention takes measures to keep abuse and neglect from occurring for the first time in a family. It raises the awareness of the general public, service providers and policy makers about the scope and problems associated with child maltreatment through activities such as public awareness campaigns or general educational efforts.

Examples of primary prevention activities include:

• Public Service announcements encouraging parents to use nonviolent forms of discipline.
• Parent education programs open to the general public that teach parents age-appropriate expectations for their children.

Secondary prevention also refers to keeping abuse and neglect from occurring for the first time in a family. The difference from primary prevention is that secondary prevention programs are directed at populations of families who have been determined to be at-risk for abusive or neglectful behavior, or have circumstances in their life that present challenges to positive parenting behaviors and optimal child development. Secondary prevention activities may include:

• Parent education programs for teen parents.
• Respite care for families who have children with special needs.
• Family Resource Centers offering information and referral services to families in low-income neighborhoods.

Tertiary prevention activities occur in families in which abuse or neglect has already occurred, with the goal of preventing further maltreatment and breaking the family cycle of abuse. An example might be:

• Parent mentor programs with stable, non-abusive families acting as role models and providing support to families in crisis.

Research literature strongly suggests that primary prevention is by far the least expensive and most effective means of solving a wide range on social problems, including child abuse and neglect. It is proactive, providing help before crisis begins. Primary prevention efforts build on family strengths; they don't concentrate on family deficits.

Prevention Activities

Some of the more common prevention activities include Parent Education Programs, Skills-Based Curricula, and Home Visitation Programs.

Parent Education Programs are often designed and structured differently, depending on the target audience, but generally they address the following issues:

• Developing and practicing positive discipline techniques
• Learning age-appropriate child development skills
• Promoting interaction between parents and children through positive play
• Locating and accessing community services and supports.

Skills-Based Curricula for Children are offered by a variety of providers, including schools, and local community services organizations. Most programs focus on teaching children safety and protection skills, and include a parent education component to ensure that parents have the skills being taught to their children. An example that most people recognize is a program designed to teach children about inappropriate touching in order to prevent child sexual abuse. Various methods are used to teach children skills, including:

• Workshops and school lessons
• Puppet shows and role playing activities
• Videos, workbooks, and comics.

Home Visitation Programs focus on strengthening families and use home visiting as a strategy for service delivery. Home visitation programs may be used by education, maternal and child health, or human services organizations. Home visitation is endorsed by the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. Visits can be structured or informal, and telephone contact is also a popular method of connecting with families. Topics addressed by home visitors include:

• Positive parenting practices and nonviolent discipline techniques
• Developmental stages of childhood
• Information and referral to social services
• Maternal and child health issues

Source: National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information www.calib.com/nccanch
Republished with permission from the Idaho Children's Trust Fund idahochildrenstrustfund.state.id.us

Long term consequences of child abuse

http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/ factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfm