This is perhaps a more technical/professional piece than is usually found here, but I think it is important and might serve as reference to people you know in the social service or medical fields.

It explains how to distinguish between accidental burns and deliberate burns. I found it to be a complete and important investigation of this serious and not often discussed type of abuse.

One of my first cases was a baby in a very dysfunctional home that had been terribly scalded in a bathtub. The skin on the bottom half of her body had suffered third degree burns in a bathtub of 161 degree water. A very painful experience for the baby that would be with her for her life (her legs and bottom would be scarred forever).

The only positive was in this sad case was a firm that specialized in burns that recovered substantial damages for the child against the landlord that had ignored frozen cold water pipes and turned the hot water heater to a scalding temperature.

Link to the complete Worksheet;

http://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/91190.txt

Title: Burn Injuries in Child Abuse

Series: Portable Guide

Contributing Authors: Phylip J. Peltier, Gary Purdue,

and Jack R. Shepherd

Published: May 1997; June 2001
Subject: Missing and Exploited Children
27 pages
37,000 bytes
——————-

Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included

in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document

in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic

file available from this Web site or order a print

copy from NCJRS at 800-638-8736.
——————–
Foreword
Our most defenseless children are the most likely to

be burned intentionally. Child abuse burn victims are

almost always under the age of 10 with the majority

under the age of 2. Immediate identification of

intentional burn victims by those individuals first

responding to the call for assistance is crucial

because most of the victims are unable to speak for

themselves. It is also important that responsible

caretakers not be unjustly accused.

In this guide you will find information that will

assist you to distinguish intentional burns from

accidental contact with hot objects. Burn Injuries in

Child Abuse provides both guidance on determining the

veracity of a caretaker’s report by re-creating the

incident and a burn evidence worksheet for use at the

scene of an investigation. Information regarding the

distinctions between immersion and contact burns is

also included.

It is our hope that information in this guide will be

of use to law enforcement as we all work to protect

our children.

Original Printing May 1997

Second Printing June 2001

NCJ 162424
——————-
Although general awareness of the magnitude of child

abuse is increasing, deliberate injury by burning is

often unrecognized. Burn injuries make up about 10

percent of all child abuse cases, and about 10

percent of hospital admissions of children to burn

units are the result of child abuse. In comparison

with accidentally burned children, abused children

are significantly younger and have longer hospital

stays and higher mortality rates. The child burn

victim is almost always under the age of 10, with the

majority under the age of 2.

Children are burned for different reasons. Immersion

burns may occur during toilet training, with the

perpetrator immersing the child in scalding water for

cleaning or punishment. Hands may be immersed in pots

of water for playing near the stove. A person may

place a child in an oven for punishment or with

homicidal intentions.

Inflicted burns often leave characteristic patterns

of injury that, fortunately, cannot be concealed.

Along with the history of the burn incident, these

patterns are primary indicators of inflicted burns

versus accidental ones. Findings in response to the

following questions can raise or lower the index of

suspicion, helping to determine whether a burn was

deliberately inflicted:

o Is the explanation of what happened consistent with

the injury? Are there contradictory or varying

accounts of the method or time of the “accident” or

other discrepancies in the witnesses’ descriptions of

what happened?

o Does the injury have a clean line of demarcation,

parts within or immediately around the injured area

that are not burned, a burn pattern inconsistent with

the injury account, or any other of the typical

characteristics of an inflicted burn? Are the burns

located on the buttocks, the area between the child’s

legs, or on the ankles, wrists, palms, or soles?

o Are other injuries present such as fractures,

healed burns, or bruises?

o Are the child’s age and level of development

compatible with the caretaker’s and witnesses’

accounts of the injury?

o Was there a delay in seeking medical attention?

Smaller burns may have been treated at home.

o Does the caretaker insist there were no witnesses,

including the caretaker, to the injury incident?

o Do those who were present seem to be angry or

resentful toward the child or each other?

A detailed history, including previous trauma,

presence of recent illnesses, immunization status,

and the status of routine medical care, is critical,

as is careful documentation of the scene of the

injury, including photographs and drawings. To

investigate a burn injury:

o Stay focused on the facts in front of you and

proceed slowly and methodically.

o Ask questions, be objective, and reenact the incident.

o Treat each case individually.

The incidence of further injury and death is so high

in deliberate burn cases that it is critical for all

concerned persons to be aware of the indicators of

this form of child abuse.

The following descriptions provide information about

the various types of accidental and nonaccidental

burns children may incur.

o Scald burns are the most common type. They may be

caused by any hot liquid–hot tap water, boiling

water, water-like liquids such as tea or coffee, and

thicker liquids such as soup and grease. Scald burns

may be either a spill/splash type of burn or an

immersion burn, the most common of the liquid burn

injuries. Most deliberate burns are caused by tap

water.

o Contact burns are usually of the branding type and

will mirror the object used to cause the injury–

curling iron, steam iron, cigarette lighter,

fireplace or hibachi grill, and heated kitchen tool

or other implement.

Young children have thinner skin than adults;

therefore, a child’s skin will be destroyed more

rapidly and by less heat. Thicker skinned areas of

the body include the palms, soles, back, scalp, and

the back of the neck. Thinner skinned areas are the

front of the trunk, inner thighs, bottom of forearms,

and the inner arm area.

It is important to work with the emergency medical

personnel, who were probably the first persons to see

the child’s injuries, hospital personnel, and social

services investigators.

Classification of Burns

The preferred classification of burns used by most

physicians is “partial” or “full thickness.” Only an

experienced medical practitioner can make a

determination of how deep a burn is, but there are

some features of partial and full thickness burns

that can be observed immediately after the incident.

o Patches of reddened skin that blanch with fingertip

pressure and refill are shallow partial thickness

burns. Blisters usually indicate deeper partial

thickness burning, especially if the blisters

increase in size just after the burn occurs.

o A leathery or dry surface with a color of white,

tan, brown, red, or black represents a full thickness

burn. The child feels no pain because the nerve

endings have been destroyed. Small blisters may be

present but will not increase in size.

Spill/Splash Injuries

These injuries occur when a hot liquid falls from a

height onto the victim. The burn pattern is

characterized by irregular margins and nonuniform

depth. A key indicator to look for is where the

scalding liquid first came into contact with the

victim. Water travels downward and cools as it moves

away from the initial contact point. When a pan of

water is spilled or thrown on a person’s chest, the

initial contact point shows a splash pattern. The

area below this point tapers down, creating what is

called an “arrow down” pattern. This pattern is more

commonly seen in assaults on adults than in assaults

on children.

If the child was wearing clothing at the time of the

injury, the pattern may be altered. This is why it is

important to determine whether clothing was worn and,

if possible, to retain the actual clothing. Depending

on the material, the water may have been against the

skin longer, which would result in a deeper injury

and pattern. A fleece sleeper, for instance, will

change the course of the water and hold the

temperature longer in one area as opposed to a thin,

cotton T-shirt.

Questions to ask in a scalding injury investigation

include the following:

o Where were the caretakers at the time of the

accident?

o How many persons were home at the time?

o How tall is the child? How far can he or she reach?

o Can the child walk and are the child’s coordination

and development consistent with his or her age?

o How much water was in the pan and how much does it

weigh?

o What is the height to the handle of the pan when it

is sitting on the stove (or counter, or table)?

o Was the oven on at the time (thus unlikely that the

child could have climbed onto the stove)?

o Does the child habitually play in the kitchen? near

the stove? climb on the cabinets or table?

o Has the child been scolded for playing in the

kitchen? for touching the stove?

It is unusual for a child to incur a scald burn on

his or her back accidentally, but it has happened. As

in all burn investigations, factors other than

location of the burn must be considered before

concluding the injury was nonaccidental. Deliberate

burning by throwing a hot liquid on a child is

usually done either as punishment for playing near a

hot object or in anger. However, the child may have

been caught in the crossfire between two fighting

adults and then been accused of having spilled the

liquid accidentally.

Immersion Burns

Immersion burns result from the child falling or

being placed into a tub or other container of hot

liquid. In a deliberate immersion burn, the depth of

the burn is uniform. The wound borders are very

distinct, sharply defined “waterlines” with little

tapering of depth at the edges. There is little

evidence that the child thrashed about during the

immersion, indicating that the child was held in

place, and occasionally there may be bruising of the

soft tissue to indicate that this is what happened.

Only children with deliberate immersion burns sustain

deep burns of the buttocks and/or the area between

the anus and the genitals. Many of these injuries

involve toilet training or the soiling of clothing.

There may be dirty diapers or clothing in the

bathroom. The water in the bathtub may be deeper than

what is normal for bathing an infant or child and may

be so hot that the first responding adult at the

scene is unable to immerse his or her own hand in it.

Several key variables must be observed in

investigating immersion burns:

o The temperature of the water. Variables that must

be taken into account include the temperature of the

water heater, the ease with which it can be reset,

and recent prior usage of water.

o The time of exposure, an unknown that can sometimes

be estimated from the burn pattern and its depth.

o The depth of the burn. Several days may need to

pass before the true depth of the burn can be

determined.

o The occurrence of “sparing” (areas within or

immediately around the burn site that were spared).

An adult will experience a significant injury of the

skin after 1 minute of exposure to water at 127

degrees, 30 seconds of exposure at 130 degrees, and 2

seconds of exposure at 150 degrees. A child, however,

will suffer a significant burn in less time than an adult.

When a child’s hand is forced into hot water, the

child will make a fist, thus “sparing” the palm and

discounting the statement that the child reached into

the pan of hot water for something. A child whose

body is immersed in hot water will attempt to fold

up, and there will be sparing in creases in the

abdomen. Curling up the toes when the foot is forced

into a hot liquid will spare part of the soles of the

feet or the area between the toes. The area where the

child was held by the perpetrator will also be

spared. These flexing actions prevent burning within

the body’s creases, causing a striped configuration

of burned and unburned zones, or a “zebra” pattern.

Deliberate immersion burns can often be recognized by

one of the following characteristic patterns:

o Doughnut pattern in the buttocks. When a child

falls or steps into a hot liquid, the immediate

reaction is to thrash about, try to get out, and jump

up and down. When a child is held in scalding hot

bathwater, the buttocks are pressed against the

bottom of the tub so forcibly that the water will not

come into contact with the center of the buttocks,

sparing this part of the buttocks and causing the

burn injury to have a doughnut pattern.

o Sparing of the soles of the feet. Another instance

of sparing occurs in a child whose buttocks and feet

are burned but whose soles have been spared. If a

caretaker’s account is that the child was left in the

bathroom and told not to get into the tub, and that

the caretaker then heard screaming and returned to

find the child jumping up and down in the water, the

absence of burns on the soles of the child’s feet is

evidence that the account is not true. A child cannot

jump up and down in hot water and not burn the

bottoms of the feet.

o Stocking or glove pattern burns. Stocking and glove

patterns are seen when feet or hands are held in the

water. The line of demarcation is possible evidence

that the injury was not accidental.

o Waterlines. A sharp line on the lower back would

indicate the child was held still in the water. A

child falling into the water would show splash and

irregular line patterns. The waterline on the child’s

torso indicates how deep the water was.

An Evidence Worksheet for Immersion Burns and

instructions for filling it out are part of this guide. The

worksheet was developed to record data to help the

doctor determine accidental or intentional injury.

The information recorded on the worksheet is also

helpful to the prosecutor in preparing the case and

defeating potential defenses that may arise later in

the investigation and trial. Developed with the assistance

of a department of social services and several law enforcement

child abuse investigative teams, the worksheet is a

guideline and can be modified to suit particular

investigative needs.

Contact Burns

Contact burns may be caused by flames or hot solid

objects. Flame burns are a much less common cause of

deliberate injury. When they do occur, they are

characterized by extreme depth and are relatively

well defined when compared with accidental flame

burns.

When a child accidentally touches a hot object or the

object falls on the child, there is usually a lack

of pattern in the burn injury, since the child

quickly moves away from the object. However, even

brief accidental contact can cause a second-degree

burn with the pattern of the object, for example,

falling against a hot radiator or grate.

Distinguishing Nonaccidental from

Accidental Contact Burns

Nonaccidental burns caused by a hot solid object are

the most difficult to distinguish from accidental

injuries. Cigarette and iron burns are the most

frequent types of these injuries. Cigarette burns on

a child’s back or buttocks are unlikely to have been

caused by walking into a lighted cigarette, and

therefore are more suspect than burns about the face

and eyes, which can occur accidentally if the child

walks or runs into the adult’s lighted cigarette held

at waist height. Accidental burns are usually more

shallow, irregular, and less well defined than

deliberate burns. Multiple cigarette burns are

distinctively characteristic of child abuse.

Purposely inflicted “branding” injuries usually

mirror the objects that caused the burn (such as

cigarette lighters and curling irons), and are much

deeper than the superficial and random burns caused

by accidentally touching these objects. Most

accidental injuries with hot steam or curling irons

occur when the hot item is grasped or falls. These

are usually second-degree injuries and randomly

placed, as might happen when a hot iron strikes the

skin in multiple places as it falls. It is important

to know where the iron was–for example, on an

ironing board or on a coffee table at the child’s

height?

Another source of accidental burns is contact with

items that have been exposed for prolonged periods to

hot sun. Pavement in hot sun, which can reach a

temperature of 176 degrees, can burn a child’s bare

feet; however, these are not likely to be deep burns.

A child placed in a carseat that has been in a car in

the sun can receive second- and even third-degree

burns. Full thickness burns have also resulted from

contact with a hot seatbelt buckle.

Key questions in this area are:

o Where is the burn injury and could the child reach

the area unassisted?

o Does the child normally have access to the item

(such as a cigarette lighter) that caused the injury?

o How heavy is the item and how strong is the child?

For instance, is the steam iron a small travel-size

one that a small child could lift or a full-size home

model that might be too heavy?

o Is there any sparing that would be significant to

the injury?

o How was the item heated and how long did it take to

heat it to cause the injury?

o Is the injury clean and crisp, with a distinctive

pattern of the object, or is it shallow or irregular,

as from a glancing blow? Several cleanly defined

injuries, especially on an older child, could

indicate that the child was held motionless by a

second perpetrator while the first perpetrator

carefully branded the child.

o Are there multiple burns or other healed burns?

o Has the child been punished before for playing with

or being too close to the hot object?

Skin Conditions That May Simulate Abuse

Investigators should be aware that it is sometimes

difficult to distinguish between burns caused by

abuse and certain diseases or medical conditions:

o Cutaneous (skin) infections. Some infections have

patterns that may mimic deliberate injuries.

Impetigo, severe diaper rash, and early scalded skin

syndrome sometimes resemble a scald injury.

A careful history, microbiological tests, and

observation of the lesions over a 2- to 3-week period

usually determine whether or not these are deliberate

burn injuries or just infections.

o Hypersensitivity reactions. A substance in citrus

fruits such as limes, when in contact with the skin

and exposed to sunlight, can produce a form of

photodermatitis with a pattern that resembles

a splash burn. An allergic reaction causing a severe

local skin irritation may be mistaken for a burn.

Skin preparations such as topical antiseptics can

cause a similar burn appearance. Again, the exposure

history will allow differentiation of these reactions

from burns.

o Marks left by folk remedies. Moxibustion is an

Asian folk remedy that entails placement of a hot

substance, often burning yarn, on the skin of the

abdomen or back, causing circular lesions that can be

mistaken for other types of burn injuries. The

practice of cupping, which is the placement in a cup

or glass of a small amount of flammable substance

that is ignited and placed on the skin, may cause a

burn lesion. Note: Even when the cause of a burn

injury is determined to be a folk remedy,

investigators should exercise caution and carefully

evaluate all circumstances surrounding the incident

to determine whether the injury should be further

investigated.

Helpful Investigative Techniques

The following investigative steps and techniques will

help you and other professionals determine if burns

have been purposely inflicted.

Medical Examination

The physical examination of all burned children

includes careful evaluation of the entire skin

surface for the presence of other signs of abuse such

as:

o Healed burns.

o Multiple simultaneous burns.

o Bruises, slaps, and bite or whip marks.

o Evidence of sexual abuse.

Evaluation and documentation of the burn pattern

should be precise. Multiple burns of varying ages and

types that obviously could not have occurred from the

same accident (for example, cigarette and scald burns

or different types of scald burns) are strong

indicators of child abuse. However, the absence of

other injuries does not rule out child abuse, since

80 percent of deliberately inflicted burns are not

associated with other trauma.

Long bone, chest, and a skull radiographic (x-ray)

series (commonly called a “babygram”) need to be

performed on all burned children with suspected

abuse. Unfortunately, there are no specific

laboratory studies that will help distinguish

deliberate from accidental burn injury.

———————

Investigator’s Checklist for Use in Suspected

Cases of Deliberate Burn Injuries of Children

o Have you contacted the emergency response team?

o Have you contacted the child protective services

team?

o Have you reviewed the medical findings with the

appropriate medical staff?

o Have you carefully considered the suspicion index

findings?

o Where was the primary care provider at the time of

the incident?

o Where is the burn injury located on the child’s

body?

o How serious is the burn?

o Is the burn a wet contact burn or a dry contact

burn?

o If the burn appears to have been caused by a dry

source of heat, what is the shape of the burn and

what object does it resemble?

o Have you completed the Evidence Worksheet for

Immersion Burns?

o If the burn was produced by a hot liquid, was the

child dipped or fully immersed?

o What does the line of demarcation look like?

o Are there any splash burns present?

o How symmetrical are the lines of immersion if

stocking or glove patterns are present?

o Is toilet training, soiling, or wetting an issue?

o Have you recorded information concerning the

child’s age, height, degree of development and

coordination; location of fixtures; temperature and

depth of water; weight of burn object, etc.?

o Have you compared the burn injury with the area of

sparing?

o Was the child in a state of flexion (tensing of the

body parts in reaction to what was happening)

indicating resistance? Examples of flexion on a

child’s body include:

o Folds in the stomach.

o Calf against back of thigh.

o Arms tightened and held firmly against body or

folded against body.

o Thighs against abdomen.

o Head against shoulder.

o Legs crossed, held tightly together.

———————

Reenactment of the Incident

Objectivity is without a doubt the most important

quality you should possess as an investigator.

Reenacting the incident as given to you by the

witness is a good way to obtain objective information

and to answer any questions you may have. Using

yourself or another adult, but never the child, you

can reenact the incident at the scene, at your home

or office, and, ultimately, in court as demonstrative

evidence. The following are examples of useful

reenactment of the incident:

o When investigating wet contact injuries, use water

with blue dye to re-create the incident and then

photograph the results, which often clearly show that

the child’s burn injury pattern is not consistent

with the pattern that would have resulted from the

described incident.

o The fact that the time of exposure, temperature of

the water, and degree of the burn are all related

will test the accuracy of the caretaker’s reenactment

of the incident.

o If the suspect re-creates the incident using cooler

water, thinking that if hot water is used it will

look incriminating, you can point out that if the

water had been at that temperature, the child would

have to have been held still for a long time in order

to receive the degree of injury sustained.

Another example is a burn that a witness claims

happened because the child was playing with a

disposable cigarette lighter. Cigarette lighters

cause a specific injury pattern. Take an inkpad,

re-create the top of the lighter on a piece of paper,

and note the pattern. Next, using the inkpad,

re-create the pattern on different parts of your

body. You will see that it is difficult to make an

impression without distorting the pattern and that

the pattern is different on soft tissue as opposed to

hard, bony parts.

Moreover, if the lighter has a safety switch, as most

disposable lighters now do, could the injured child

have released the safety switch, lit the lighter,

kept the flame lit, and burned the area of the body

that was injured without burning his or her own hand,

especially the thumb closest to the flame?

Documentation

The following elements are important in diagramming

and photographing the scene:

o When diagramming, be sure to include all items in

the room where the incident occurred. Children often

climb when they are exploring. You may think the sink

is too high for access by the child, but a determined child

may have climbed from a step stool, to the toilet seat, to

a hamper, and then the sink.

o Accurate measurements of the items involved in the

incident–tub, basin, stove height, height to object, etc.–

are essential. Photographs of these items should document

the size and shape of the item and should contain a measure

scale.

o Always use color 35mm film for photographs. It

will give you maximum clarity and detail and is best

suited for making enlargements for court evidence.

Instant cameras are acceptable but do not give the

same clarity and produce photographs less suitable

for enlargements.

All body parts should be photographed. Photographs

should include a standard front, standard back,

standard left, and standard right. The significantly

burned areas should be particularly well

photographed. Reliable testimony, however, should not

be based solely on photographs or drawings. Testimony

from the treating physician or medical personnel who

conducted a hands-on evaluation of the child is

critical and more effective.

Working With Other Agencies

Fire and rescue teams are usually the first

responders to a 911 call for a burn victim.

Their observations of the scene and their

communication tapes verifying the response

time provide valuable information.

Another important agency is the Department of Social

Services. It is advisable to work closely with the

child protection services team, for their cooperation

can result in evidence and information law

enforcement may not be aware of. In fact,

joint training sessions of social services, medical,

emergency response, and prosecutorial personnel

can benefit everyone–victim and investigators.

———————-

Contributing Authors

Phylip J. Peltier

Criminal Investigator

Butte County District Attorney’s Office

Special Victims Unit

25 County Center Drive

Oroville, CA 95965

530-538-5224

Gary Purdue, M.D.

Professor, Department of Surgery

The University of Texas

Southwestern Medical Center

5323 Harry Hines Boulevard

Dallas, TX 75390-9158

214-648-2041

Captain Jack R. Shepherd

Commander, Executive Division

Office of the Director

Michigan State Police

714 South Harrison Road

East Lansing, MI 48823

517-336-6552

——————-

Supplemental Reading

Besharov DJ. Combating Child Abuse: Guidelines for

Cooperation Between Law Enforcement and Child

Protective Agencies. Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1990.

Butler KD, Chadwick DL. Child abuse. In Warner CG

(ed): Emergency Care: Assessment and Intervention. 2d

ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, 1978.

Deitch EA, Staats M. Child abuse through burning.

Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation 3:89-94, 1982.

DePanfilis D, Salus MK. A Coordinated Response to

Child Abuse and Neglect: A Basic Manual (The User Manual

Series). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth

and Families, National Center on Child Abuse and

Neglect, 1992.

Fowler J. Child maltreatment by burning. Burns 5:83-

85, 1978.

Gary FP, Hunt JL, Prescott PR. Child abuse by

burning–An index of suspicion. Journal of Trauma 28(2):221-

224, 1988.

Gil DG. Violence Against Children: Physical Child

Abuse in the United States. Cambridge, MA: Harvard

University Press, 1970.

Helfer RE, Kempe RS (eds). The Battered Child. 4th

ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Hight DW, Bakalar HR, Lloyd JR. Inflicted burns in

children: Recognition and treatment. Journal of the

American Medical Association 242:517-520, 1979.

Lenoski EF, Hunter KA. Specific patterns of inflicted

burn injuries. Journal of Trauma 17:842-846, 1977.

MacMillan BG, Freiberg DL. Special problems of the

pediatric burn patient. In Hummel RP (ed): Clinical

Burn Therapy. Boston (MA), Bristol, and London: John

Wright/PSG Inc., 1982.

Moritz AR, Henriques FC. Studies of thermal injury:

II. The relative importance of time and surface

temperature in the causation of cutaneous burns.

American Journal of Pathology 23:695-720, 1947.

Pence D, Wilson C. The Role of Law Enforcement in the

Response to Child Abuse and Neglect (The User Manual Series).

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Administration on Children, Youth and

Families, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect,

1992.

Purdue GF, Hunt JL. Child abuse by burning. In Ludwig

S, Kornberg A (eds): Child Abuse: A Medical

Reference. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone, 1992,

pp. 105-116.

Schanberger JE. Inflicted burns in children. Topics

in Emergency Medicine 3:85-92, 1981.

Shepherd JR, Dworin B, Farley RH, Russ BJ, Tressler

PW, National Center for Missing and Exploited

Children. Child Abuse and Exploitation: Investigative

Techniques. 2d ed. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1995.

Stone NH, Rinaldo L, Humphrey CR, et al. Child abuse

by burning. Surgical Clinics of North America

50:1419-1424, 1974.

Whitcomb D. When the Victim Is a Child. 2d ed.

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of

Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice,

1992.

———————

Organizations

American Burn Association

800-548-2876

Fox Valley Technical College

Criminal Justice Department

Law Enforcement Training Programs

P.O. Box 2277

1825 North Bluemound Drive

Appleton, WI 54914-2277

800-648-4966

920-735-4757 (fax)

http://www.foxvalley.tec.wi.us/ojjdp

Participants are trained in child abuse and

exploitation investigative techniques, covering the

following areas: recognition of signs of abuse,

collection and preservation of evidence, preparation

of cases for prosecution, techniques for interviewing

victims and offenders, and liability issues.

Fox Valley also offers an intensive special training

for local child investigative teams. Teams must

include representatives from law enforcement,

prosecution, social services, and (optionally) the

medical field. Participants take part in hands-on

team activity involving:

o Development of interagency processes and protocols

for enhanced enforcement, prevention, and

intervention in child abuse cases.

o Case preparation and prosecution.

o Development of the team’s own interagency

implementation plan for improved investigation of

child abuse.

National Burn Victim Foundation

246A Madisonville Road

Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

800-803-5879

908-953-9091

908-953-9099 (fax)

The Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, Inc.

2153 Wealthy Street SE., Suite 215

East Grand Rapids, MI 49506

616-458-2773

Burn survivor toll-free line: 800-888-BURN

Burn camps in the United States and abroad: 800-888-BURN

http://www.phoenix-society.org

Shriners Hospital Referral Line

2900 Rocky Point Drive

Tampa, FL 33607

800-237-5055

Shriners Burn Institutes

Boston Unit

51 Blossom Street

Boston, MA 02114

617-722-3000

Cincinnati Unit

3229 Burnet Avenue

Cincinnati, OH 45229

513-872-6000

Galveston Unit

815 Market Street

Galveston, TX 77550

409-770-6600

Sacramento Unit

2425 Stockton Boulevard

Sacramento, CA 95817

916-453-2000

Trauma Burn Center

University of Michigan Medical Center

1500 East Medical Center Drive

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0033

734-936-9666

In addition, many communities have their own burn

centers, which can be identified through local

hospitals.

———————–

Instructions for Evidence Worksheet for Immersion Burns

Section A

The location should include the address and

room in which the burn occurred.

Section B

Two investigators are required to gather the information

on the worksheet. You will need an immersion thermometer,

a 35 mm camera, a measuring device, and a watch with a

second hand.

Photograph the scene with a 35 mm camera. Use a ruler,

yardstick, or tape measure in all photographs.

Sketch the scene including all objects in the area.

Be sure to include the distance from the basin or tub

in relation to nearby objects and the dimensions of

furniture, fixtures, etc.

Section C

One investigator holds the thermometer so that the

water from the faucet is hitting at the immersion

line on the thermometer. That person notes the

starting temperature, which is recorded by the other

investigator, who is also holding the watch. The

first investigator calls out the time and the second

investigator calls out the temperature in response,

recording it at 5-second intervals (or when the

temperature remains constant for 15 seconds). Note:

The person holding the thermometer should not be

wearing glasses since the steam will fog them up.

When recording the hot and cold water temperature

together, turn the faucets on full and record when

the temperature remains constant for 15 seconds.

Section D

After the tub or basin is filled, you can hold a

low-key interview with the caretaker and/or witnesses

while checking the temperature at 5-minute intervals.

Section E

Have the suspect show you how he or she ran the water

when the burn occurred. If the suspect wants to run

the water deeper than 5 inches, allow this and note

it on the worksheet.

——————-

Other Titles in This Series

Currently there are 12 other Portable Guides to

Investigating Child Abuse. Additional guides in this

series may be developed at a later date. To obtain a

copy of any of the guides listed below (in order of

publication), contact the Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention’s Juvenile Justice

Clearinghouse by telephone at 800-638-8736 or e-mail

at puborder@ncjrs.org.

Recognizing When a Child’s Injury or Illness Is

Caused by Abuse, NCJ 160938

Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Child Sexual Abuse,

NCJ 160940

Photodocumentation in the Investigation of Child

Abuse, NCJ 160939

Diagnostic Imaging of Child Abuse, NCJ 161235

Battered Child Syndrome: Investigating Physical Abuse

and Homicide, NCJ 161406

Interviewing Child Witnesses and Victims of Sexual

Abuse, NCJ 161623

Child Neglect and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy,

NCJ 161841

Criminal Investigation of Child Sexual Abuse,

NCJ 162426

Law Enforcement Response to Child Abuse, NCJ 162425

Understanding and Investigating Child Sexual

Exploitation, NCJ 162427

Forming a Multidisciplinary Team To Investigate Child

Abuse, NCJ 170020

Use of Computers in the Sexual Exploitation of

Children, NCJ 170021

———————

Additional Resources

American Bar Association

(ABA)

Center on Children and

the Law

Washington, DC

202-662-1720

202-662-1755 (fax)

American Humane Association

Englewood, Colorado

800-227-4645

303-792-9900

303-792-5333 (fax)

American Medical Association

(AMA)

Department of Mental Health

Chicago, Illinois

312-464-5000

(AMA main number)

312-464-4184 (fax)

American Professional Society

on the Abuse of Children

(APSAC)

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

405-271-8202

405-271-2931 (fax)

Federal Bureau of Investigation

(FBI)

National Center for the

Analysis of Violent Crime

Quantico, Virginia

703-632-4333

Fox Valley Technical College

Criminal Justice Department

Appleton, Wisconsin

800-648-4966

920-735-4757 (fax)

Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse

(JJC)

Rockville, Maryland

800-638-8736

301-519-5600 (fax)

Kempe Children’s Center

Denver, Colorado

303-864-5252

303-864-5302 (fax)

National Association of Medical

Examiners

St. Louis, Missouri

314-577-8298

314-268-5124 (fax)

National Center for Missing

and Exploited Children

(NCMEC)

Alexandria, Virginia

703-274-3900

703-274-2220 (fax)

National Center for the

Prosecution of Child Abuse

Alexandria, Virginia

703-549-4253

703-549-6259 (fax)

National Children’s Alliance

Washington, DC

800-239-9950

202-639-0597

202-639-0511 (fax)

National Clearinghouse on

Child Abuse and Neglect

Information

Washington, DC

800-FYI-3366

703-385-7565

703-385-3206 (fax)

National SIDS Resource

Center

Vienna, Virginia

703-821-8955, ext. 249

703-821-2098 (fax)

Prevent Child Abuse America

Chicago, Illinois

800-835-2671

312-663-3520

312-939-8962 (fax)

————————

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention

Washington, D.C. 20531

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/KidsAtRisk

amy.rostronledoux@yahoo.com

FEBRUARY 21, 2010

A Critical Look At The Foster Care System:How Widespread a Problem?

A Critical Look At The Foster Care System:
How Widespread a Problem?
http://unhappygrammy-grandparentsblog.blogspot.com/

A New York University Survey determined that over 28% of the children in foster care had been abused while in the system. The cases noted were frightening. Louisiana a study indicated that 21% of abuse and neglect cases involved foster homes. Hundreds of Louisiana foster children were shipped to Texas.

Stephen Berzon of the Children’s Defense Fund explained the shocking findings of the court before a Congressional subcommitte, saying: “children were physically abused, handcuffed, beaten, chained, and tied up, kept in cages, and overdrugged with psychotropic medication for institutional convenience.”

The rest of this report is terrifying. Many states have decades long histories of ignoring the physical violence and overt sexual abuse of very young children. This report names names, dates, and places.

California paid $18 million to children that were abused while in its custody. This is a frightening story.

I agree with Children’s Rights Project attorney Marcia Robinson Lowry: “There are a lot of injuries, a lot of abuse. The most significant thing is the psychological death of so many of these kids. Kids are being destroyed every day, destroyed by a government-funded system set out to help them.”

Each state must look hard at the outcomes it wants to achieve. Recent studies show that 80% of children aging out of foster care are leading dysfunctional lives

There is an institutional violence done to children when the system is too busy, too under-trained, or under-resourced to include family members.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2010
A Critical Look At The Foster Care System:How Widespread a Problem?

A Critical Look At The Foster Care System:
How Widespread a Problem?

——————————————————————————–

HOW WIDESPREAD A PROBLEM?
One of the most comprehensive surveys of abuse in foster care was conducted in conjunction with a Baltimore lawsuit. Trudy Festinger, head of the Department of Research at the New York University School of Social Work, determined that over 28 per cent of the children in state care had been abused while in the system.

Reviewed cases depicted “a pattern of physical, sexual and emotional abuses” inflicted upon children in the custody of the Baltimore Department.

Cases reviewed as the trial progressed revealed children who had suffered continuous sexual and physical abuse or neglect in foster homes known to be inadequate by the Department. Cases included that of sexual abuse of young girls by their foster fathers, and that of a young girl who contracted gonorrhea of the throat as a result of sexual abuse in an unlicenced foster home.[1]

In Louisiana, a study conducted in conjunction with a civil suit found that 21 percent of abuse or neglect cases involved foster homes.[2]

In another Louisiana case, one in which thousands of pages of evidence were reviewed, and extensive testimony and depositions were taken, it was discovered that hundreds of foster children had been shipped out of the state to Texas.

Stephen Berzon of the Children’s Defense Fund explained the shocking findings of the court before a Congressional subcommitte, saying: “children were physically abused, handcuffed, beaten, chained, and tied up, kept in cages, and overdrugged with psychotropic medication for institutional convenience.”[3]

In Missouri, a 1981 study found that 57 percent of the sample children were placed in foster care settings that put them “at the very least at a high risk of abuse or neglect.”[4]

A later report issued in 1987 found that 25 percent of the children in the Missouri sample group had been victims of “abuse or inappropriate punishment.”

Children’s Rights Project attorney Marcia Robinson Lowry described the findings of the Missouri review before the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families:

The most troubling result of the Kansas City review was the level of abuse, undetected or unreported, in foster homes. 25% of the children in the sample were the subject of abuse or inappropriate punishment. 88% of those reports were not properly investigated.[5]

SEXUAL ABUSE
A recent class action lawsuit filed on behalf of foster children in the State of Arizona serves well to indicate the extent of sexual abuse of children in state care.

The suit alleges that over 500 of an estimated 4,000 foster children, a figure representing at least 12.5 percent of the state’s foster care population, have been sexually abused while in state care.

The action also charged that “the acts and omissions of Defendants were done in bad faith, with malice, intent or deliberate indifference to and/or reckless disregard for the health, safety and rights of the Plaintiffs.”[6]

But the problems associated with foster placements in Arizona are not limited to sexual abuse. During a recent two year period, one foster child died on average every seven and a half weeks in the state of Arizona. Four of them were reported as having been “viciously beaten to death” by their foster parents.[7]

The sexual abuse of children in government custody would appear to be a particularly widespread problem.

In Maryland, a 1992 study found that substantiated allegations of sexual abuse in foster care are four times higher than that found among the general population.[8]

In Kentucky, sex abuse in foster care was “all over the newspapers,” according to department head Larry Michalczyk.

The former Commissioner explained that within a few years of time, his state saw a child die while in residential placement, a lawsuit filed against a DSS staff member on behalf of a foster child, and legislative inquiries into its child protection system.[9]

Kentucky would prove to be a problematic state, as case reviewers would find that only 55 percent of the children in the state’s care had the legally mandated case plans.[10]

Perhaps the most significant indicator of the true extent of sexual abuse in foster care was a survey of alumni of what was described as an “exemplary” and “model” program in the Pacific Northwest, argues University professor Richard Wexler.

“In this lavishly-funded program caseloads were kept low and both workers and foster parents got special training. This was not ordinary foster care, this was Cadillac Foster Care,” he explained.

In this “exemplary” program, 24 percent of the girls responding to a survey said they were victims of actual or attempted sexual abuse in the one home in which they had stayed the longest. Significantly, they were not even asked about the other foster homes in which they had stayed.[11]

The Children’s Rights Project has initiated a number of successful civil suits against foster care and child welfare systems. One such landmark suit was brought against the Illinois foster care system. Attorney Benjamin Wolf instituted the legal action after concluding that the states foster care system functioned as “a laboratory experiment to produce the sexual abuse of children.”[12]

Yet by many accounts, the sexual abuse of children in the state’s care has increased along with the increase in placements, successful lawsuits notwithstanding. Even Patrick Murphy, the outspoken Cook County Public Guardian, admits that sexual abuse of children in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has probably increased.[13]

SYSTEMWIDE ABUSES
According to an Associated Press investigation, in nearly half the states, cases take years to come to completion as agencies repeatedly fail to investigate abuse reports in a timely fashion, find permanent homes for children, or even keep track of those children under their care and custody.[14]

For various reasons, ranging from failure to provide adequate supervision and oversight of workers, to failure to provide safe child care facilities, 22 states and the District of Columbia have been ruled inadequate by the courts and now operate under some form of judicial supervision.[15]

But the reader should not be reassured that such problems are isolated only to those states which have been successfully litigated against. As Children’s Rights Project attorney Marcia Robinson Lowry explained to a Congressional subcommittee: “We have turned down requests from a number of other states to institute additional lawsuits, solely because of a lack of resources.”[16]

A 1986 survey conducted by the National Foster Care Education Project found that foster children were 10 times more likely to be abused than children among the general population. A follow-up study in 1990 by the same group produced similar results.[17]

The American Civil Liberties Union’s Children’s Rights Project similarly estimates that a child in the care of the state is ten times more likely to be abused than one in the care of his parents.[18]

In a legal action brought by the Children’s Rights Project against the District of Columbia child welfare system, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found that:

because of the appalling manner in which the system is managed, children remain subject to continuing abuse and neglect at the hands of heartless parents and guardians, even after the DHS has received reports of their predicaments. The court also found that youngsters who have been taken into the custody of the District’s foster-care system languish in inappropriate placements, with scarce hope of returning to their families or being adopted.
The Court also found that the agency entrusted with the care of children “has consistently evaded numerous responsibilities placed on it by local and federal statutes.” Among the deficiencies cited was “failure to provide services to families to prevent the placement of children in foster care.”[19]

Frustrated by the lack of progress after years of litigation, child advocates succeeded in placing the District of Columbia child welfare system into full receivership in 1995, making it the first such system in the nation to come under the direct control of the Court.[20]

In a Pennsylvania case, the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit wrote in a 1994 decision: “It is a matter of common knowledge (and it is not disputed here) that in recent years the system run by DHS and overseen by DPW has repeatedly failed to fulfill its mandates, and unfortunately has often jeopardized the welfare of the children in its care.”

The original complaint, filed by the Children’s Rights Project on April 4, 1990, alleged that systemic deficiencies prevent the Pennsylvania department from performing needed services, and that it consistently violates the due process rights of both parents and children:

Specifically, plaintiffs claim that these amendments confer the right not to be deprived of a family relationship; the right not to be harmed while in state custody; the right to placement in the least restrictive, most appropriate placement; the right to medical and psychiatric treatment; the right to care consistent with competent professional judgment; and the right not to be deprived of liberty or property interests without due process of law.[21]
One of the plaintiffs in the Pennsylvania suit was “Tara M.” on whose behalf the ACLU charged the city of Philadelphia with neglect. Human Services Commissioner Joan Reeves guaranteed the young girl an adoptive home with specially trained parents.

In August of 1996, Tara M. would make the headlines once again, as her new foster parents were sentenced for “one of the most appalling cases of child abuse” Common Pleas Court Judge Carolyn E. Temin said she had ever heard.

Nine-year-old Tara has had three skin grafts and wears a protective stocking in recovery from burns over more than half her body. Police said the foster parents punished the girl by stripping her, forcing her into the bathtub and dousing her with buckets of scalding water. This was the very best of care the city could provide for Tara, a girl who had already endured years of physical and sexual abuse in the several foster homes into which she had been placed over the years.[22]

The Children’s Rights Project has also been involved in suits against child welfare systems in the states of Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana and New Mexico, and the cities of Kansas City, Missouri; Louisville, Milwaukee, and New York City.[23]

Says Children’s Rights Project attorney Marcia Robinson Lowry: “There are a lot of injuries, a lot of abuse. The most significant thing is the psychological death of so many of these kids. Kids are being destroyed every day, destroyed by a government-funded system set out to help them.”[24]

In California, as of 1989 Los Angeles County alone had paid $18 million in settlements to children who had been abused while in its custody.

One such case involved a nine-year-old boy who weighed only 28 lbs., and who could hardly speak after the suicides of his parents. County social workers failed to visit him in his foster home for four months.

During that time, he was beaten, sodomized, burned on his genitals and nearly drowned by his foster parents. He became a spastic paraplegic. By 1990 the state was threatening to take over Los Angeles County’s child welfare system.[25]

The California-based Little Hoover Commission, in examining the functioning of the foster care system determined: “That children can come to harm–and even die–while supposedly under the protection of foster care is not in dispute.” Some cases cited by the Commission included:

A foster mother arrested in Los Angeles on charges of beating to death her 23-month-old foster son, allegedly over toilet training problems.
A Los Angeles woman arrested for the attempted murder of a 19-month-old foster child who she said fell from a jungle gym. Doctors believed the severe head injuries, which may result in blindness, could only have come from abuse.
A Sacramento woman who was injured in a car accident who voluntarily placed her daughter in a foster care facility. During a tantrum by the child, an employee of the facility wrapped her in a blanket and squatted on her. She was later discovered dead.[26]

MINIMIZING THE ABUSES
Child welfare departments are rarely forthcoming with information about the actual extent of harm that comes to children in their care. It is largely through audits and casereadings associated with legal actions that the actual extent of abuses in the foster care system come to light.

The reasons for this may not be as complex as they are often made to appear.

Child welfare officials who have managed to entrench themselves in lifetime civil service positions in the more desirable nooks and crannies of the child welfare system have a vested interest to protect, and those who run public bureaucracies have devised their own “rationalized myths” to protect their interests, argues sociologist John Hagedorn.

The myths of “doing good” benefit those who are advantaged by existing institutional arrangements. Even as politicians are constantly criticizing “bureaucracy” and “bureaucrats,” they approve millions of dollars worth of public funds to keep the bureaucracies running. As Hagedorn succinctly explains:

It’s simply too risky for bureaucrats to admit that their agency may not be “doing good.” The erosion of that myth may lead someone to investigate them or even propose cutting their budgets.[27]
But if there is one thing that is riskier for bureaucrats than admitting that their system may not be doing good, it is that it is doing far more harm than good.

Thus we find situations such as that in which the California Department’s legal division discovered a “secret room” in the Los Angeles Department containing 15 filing cabinets holding approximately 3,000 case files on foster care facilities that had problems which were not reported to the state.

In one case, ten foster children slept on the floor of a garage, while ten more were crammed into an upstairs bedroom. Three had been abused, one with a fractured skull and two broken limbs. Yet the home was not closed until months after the conditions were discovered.[28]

Thus we find caseworkers in a Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services office running files relating to a botched investigation through a paper-shredder.[29]

Thus we find a New York City caseworker indicating as “unfounded” the repeated rapes of a young girl in institutional care, notwithstanding the testimony of credible witnesses.[30]

Thus we find an agency administrator in Oklahoma quietly dismissing two agency employees accused of the sexual abuse of foster children without so much as a blot on their records.[31]

Thus we find what was described as a “whitewash of wrongdoing” in an edited audit of a child welfare office in Utah, and death threats made against the rare brave legislator who dared to push for the public release of the unexpurgated document.[32]

Thus we find a report of system-wide abuses at the Columbus-Maryville “shelter” in Illinois suppressed by Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy.[33]

THE QUIET ABUSES
With the high rate of multiple placements that most foster children endure, the possibility that they may experience overt physical or sexual abuse becomes an increasing certainty with each move. Yet even those children who are not subjected to overt physical or sexual abuse in state care often endure conditions tantamount to abuse.

Due to the overuse of foster care, the high number of children in custody often results in children being placed on a bed-available basis.[34]

The number of conventional foster homes in the public sector has dropped from 125,000 in 1988 to 100,000 today–and the “exodus continues,” says Gordon Evans, information director for the National Foster Parent Association in Houston.

Evans notes that the average number of children per home is 3.7–up from about 1.4 in 1983–and he estimates that “tens of thousands” care for six, seven, and eight youngsters at a time.[35]

Because of the shortage of conventional foster homes, and due in no small measure to the unwillingness of child welfare agencies to provide meaningful services to families, children continue to be shuttled off to institutional or residential placements on a bed-available basis.

Julie and her twin brother Juan were two such children. They were placed with their grandmother who tried to obtain needed services for them. The agency neglected to provide services, instead shuttling them in and out of five placements in which they often failed to receive proper medical care for their health problems.

The agency then sent Julie and Juan, at the age of two, to an institution for adolescent boys. When their grandmother visited them she discovered that Julie had been physically abused. The twins were then placed with a foster mother who again abused them, while failing to provide proper medical care.

Juan, after suffering a great deal of pain, died at age 3 before he could be returned to his grandmother. Julie’s condition worsened after her brother’s death, and she died at age four. The advocacy group Children’s Rights sued the city of New York for damages, and a jury awarded $87,500 to Julie’s estate. Her surviving sister plans to use the money to attend college.[36]

Julie and Juan’s story is in many respects typical. Because of the shortage of conventional foster homes due to the high number of children being unnecessarily placed in care, children often have labels assigned arbitrarily for purposes of placement.

Children may end up in a place like the Hegeman Diagnostic Center in Brooklyn, where a twelve-year-old girl who had been raped in a foster home was brought–only to be sexually abused by other girls at the center.

“We believe that assaults, sexual and otherwise, occur daily at the center,” said Karen Freedman of Lawyers for Children.[37]

Or they may wind up in a private residential treatment center like Indian Oaks in Manteno, Illinois, on the grounds of what used to be the state mental institution.

“Indian Oaks occupies one building, but the rest is desolate, empty, broken buildings,” says Peter Schmiedel, supervising attorney of the Special Litigations Team in the Office of the Public Guardian. “It’s something out of a bad, eerie movie.”

Says Schmiedel: “If ever you want to see something terrible, go to the DCFS intake shelter at Columbus-Maryville. Go downstairs where they keep the teenagers. The place used to be a morgue. It’s a room without windows, crowded, wall-to-wall beds.”

These beds were created in response to DCFS saying they need more beds, adds Schmiedel. “It’s market-driven forces, children as industry.”

Part of Schmiedel’s job is to go through unusual incident reports. “We must get two or three hundred a week,” he says, some of which include serious reports of physical and sexual abuse in treatment centers and foster homes. “It’s frightening–we don’t know which cases are the most serious.”

“You see what some parents do to their kids, but then you see what happens to kids who are removed from their homes and put into foster homes… I mean, the stories are grotesque.”[38]

Or consider the plight of those foster wards locked in detention in the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center Facility–maintained in small locked cells alongside alleged juvenile offenders who are themselves awaiting adjudication of their cases. A grand jury found the conditions endured by these children to be far worse than that endured by adult criminals in the County prison.[39]

THE SILENT NEGLECT
Even for those fortunate enough not to find themselves warehoused in glorified prisons, mental hospitals or congregate care facilities, overcrowding, medical and educational neglect are still the norm for many of the nation’s foster children.

A 1993 action filed in Utah is in many ways typical. The National Center for Youth Law filed the class-action on behalf of about 1,400 children in foster care and another 10,000 alleged to have been abused and neglected.

The action charged that the state failed to provide adequately trained caseworkers, medical treatment and education to children in its care, that it used unlicensed foster homes and homes that did not meet federal standards. It also alleged that children bounce around in the system and languish in foster care. A subsequent legislative audit largely confirmed the allegations.[40]

By 1994, the Utah legislature approved what the Governor called a “SWAT Team approach” to handling the system wide deficiencies in its foster care and child protective services programs.[41]

By 1995 it had established “Judicial M*A*S*H units,” courtrooms with temporary judges to handle the backlog of hundreds of children waiting for rulings on their cases.[42]

Also typical of recent actions is a Youth Law Center suit in California which accused Eloise Anderson, director of the Department of Social Services, of refusing to carry out state and federal laws which require audits of county child welfare programs.

Among the deficiencies cited in the lawsuit: “children in California’s child welfare system have been subjected to inadequate supervision, substandard conditions and inadequate health care and education.”[43]

On a national level, the General Accounting Office recently examined the issue of whether the nation’s foster children were being adequately serviced with respect to their health care needs. The GAO found that:

despite foster care agency regulations requiring comprehensive routine health care, an estimated 12 percent of young foster children receive no routine health care, 34 percent receive no immunizations, and 32 percent have some identified health needs that are not met
an estimated 78 percent of young foster children are at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus as a result of parental drug abuse, yet only about 9 percent of foster children are tested for HIV
young foster children placed with relatives receive fewer health-related services than children placed with nonrelative foster parents, possibly since relative caregivers receive less monitoring and assistance from caseworkers
that the Department of Health and Human Services has not designated any technical assistance to assist states with health-related programs for foster children and does not audit states’ compliance with health-related safeguards for foster children.[44]
As for the educational needs of children in state care, the situation is equally as distressing.

Miami attorney Karen Gievers, former President of the Florida Bar Association, filed a lawsuit in 1996, alleging that while 73 percent of Florida children among the general population graduate from high school or get an equivalent diploma, less than half of the state’s foster children do.[45]

In 1995, a suit was filed in Florida against its Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. The suit sought to shut down the Department, forcing HRS to stop taking children into foster care until it could better aid the 9,300 children already under its supervision. According to Howard Davidson, director of the American Bar Association’s Center on Children and the Law:

You could carbon-copy the lawsuit filed in Florida in every state. . . We have a child welfare system that’s near collapse.[46]
Even for those children who are not necessarily subjected to overt physical or sexual while in state care, life in state care often fails to provide them with permanence or stability.

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation reports that most foster care placements bear no resemblence to the ideal short term stay on the way to family reunification. Rather, “the devastating norm for foster children is multiple moves, extended stays, and no stable family ties.”[47]

Or, as Bruce Boyer, supervising attorney for the Children and Family Justice Center of Northwestern Law School notes, “there are a set of harms that follow a kid in foster care even if they are treated as well as the foster care system is capable of treating children. For those kinds of harms there is no mechanism for holding decision makers accountable; the only one who suffers is the child.”[48]

The most tragic aspect of all this is that most of the children subjected to the abuses of foster care don’t need to be there. And, it is largely because the system is flooded with so many children that don’t belong in care that these abuses continue to mount.

The situation is perhaps best summarized by a California based Santa Clara County Grand Jury report. “The Grand Jury did not see clear and convincing evidence that the foster care system operates with the best interest of the child in mind. It did find that the interest of the child often took a back seat to the interest of others.[49]

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Study released indicates sharp drop in child abuse in the U.S.
Child abuse drops sharply in U.S.
Study: Incidents declined by 26 percent from 1993 to 2006

NEW YORK – A massive new federal study documents an unprecedented and dramatic decrease in incidents of serious child abuse, especially sexual abuse. Experts hailed the findings as proof that crackdowns and public awareness campaigns had made headway. An estimated 553,000 children suffered physical, sexual or emotional abuse in 2005-06, down 26 percent from the estimated 743,200 abuse victims in 1993, the study found.

Full Article: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=9730224

It is interesting how this study compares to the ones by the Center for Disease Control on “The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study” and the National Survey on Drug Use’s Report (Dec. 17th ,2009) in the article titled , “Violent Behaviors Among Adolecent Females”. What implications will this new federal study have in regards to child welfare policy?
Posted 11 days ago | Reply Privately
Comments (7)

michael tikkanen
Founder at KARA Kids At Risk Action

I would not celebrate too quickly.

From where I stand today, the reported decrease in incidents of serious child abuse is not real in child protection services around the country.

It is a reflection of the number of cases not being accepted as a result of reduced programs and reduced funding due to the financial chaos in our economy

Where this is becoming evident is in the increase in juvenile justice and criminal justice cases.

We will soon be building more prisons (there were 13 million prison and jail releases in the U.S. last year). America now has 25% of the world’s prison population and only 5% of the world’s population. We charge 150,000 youth in adult courts each year.

These are just a few recent articles on lost programs in various states;

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2009/11/12/another-state-abandons-children-most-effective-program/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2010/01/02/prevent-child-abuse-wyoming-to-close/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2010/01/19/michigan-16-confirmed-increase-in-child-abuse-neglect-cases/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2010/01/27/georgia-child-protection-too-many-children-too-few-resources/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2009/10/27/ruben-rosario-rising-toll-of-child-abuse-deaths-reaquires-attention-action/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2009/09/20/978/

And an article on why it pays to keep programs for at risk youth;

http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=56880
Posted 10 days ago | Delete comment

WW
Therapist
Michael, I’m sure you would agree with Linda Spears of the Child Welfare League of America’s statement, “There’s much more public awareness and public intolerance around child abuse now,” especially since “It was a hidden concern before – people were afraid to talk about it if it was in their family.” I honestly think the article and study helps the general public have a better understanding when looking at the complexities of child abuse.

michael tikkanen
Founder at KARA Kids At Risk Action
See all michael’s activity »
Yes, I do agree that there is much more public awareness and public intolerance of child abuse and that is a good thing.

My fear and disappointment come from the growing problems being experienced in many states just maintaining programs that are absolutely necessary for providing the most minimal protection for abused and neglected children.

The growing poverty and trouble that poverty breeds are causing great stress and terrible things to happen to children all over America right now.

All summer long I reported on the bad news surrounding abused and neglected children for KARA, Kids At Risk Action.

It frightens me to think that people “in the know” will get behind this good news about reduced child abuse as if it were a valid current measurement of the conditions faced by abused and neglected children in our communities at this time.

It is just not true.

We need to speak honestly for these children.

www.invisiblechildren.org
Posted 9 days ago | Delete comment

SH
CASA Advocate at Volunteer
I graduated as a CASA Advocate in November of 2009. As of yet I do not have a case, neither do seven other graduates. We were told there are no new cases since November of last year. I agree this is excellent, hopefully it is because of Children not be abused.
Posted 4 days ago | Reply Privately

michael tikkanen
Founder at KARA Kids At Risk Action
See all michael’s activity »
Let me clarify why I have made this statement Sandra;

When money is tight, programs are cut and cases are not accepted. If there are fewer cases accepted, CASA graduates will have less to do.

Most funding for abused and neglected children’s programs comes from federal, state, and county governments.

Even as we speak, budgets are shrinking and every community is searching to move money to where the need is greatest.

With the chaos in the economy, nonprofits have lost substantial portions of their endowments, which has forced them to cut back on their charitable giving for programs that help at risk youth..

Abused and neglected children suffered from underfunded programs before the economic chaos. Even without this report, their conditions would not be improving.

Below are just a few of the recently closed programs for abused and neglected children that I have written about;

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2010/02/06/californias-child-protection-problems-grow/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2010/01/27/georgia-child-protection-too-many-children-too-few-resources/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2010/01/19/michigan-16-confirmed-increase-in-child-abuse-neglect-cases/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2010/01/02/prevent-child-abuse-wyoming-to-close/

http://www.invisiblechildren.org/2009/11/12/another-state-abandons-children-most-effective-program/

Perhaps you are in a county that really is not experiencing child abuse.

I do hope that is true.

Best wishes,

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/KidsAtRisk
Posted 3 days ago | Delete comment
LL

Thank you for all of those links, Michael, and for all the work you do. I haven’t been a CASA long enough to note any trends, but we are certainly overloaded with tragic cases.
Posted 2 days ago | Reply Privately

KM
Program Manager

Thank you Michael for providing us with this sobering news. By balancing this study with the reality that significant programs are being cut, you are helping others understand the full complexity of child abuse – especially the impact of our recent economic hard times. With more programs getting cut it makes total sense that there are fewer resources to help prevent and treat child abuse; and consequently, why we need your caution about the findings of this study. You are a continual, courageous force against those who so easily want to sweep child abuse under the carpet, and I greatly appreciate that you have hard facts to stem that reaction. Thank you so much!

Children need and deserve a voice in the system that rules their lives. Their only chance of having that voice is if there is a guardian ad-Litem speaking for them in child protection.

There are CASA (guardian ad-Litem) offices near you. If you have a friend that would like to be a volunteer voice & help a child send this to them;

http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5301295/k.BE9A/Home.htm

This article out of Florida captures my sentiment well;

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/feb/03/more-volunteers-needed-children-court-system/

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More volunteers needed for children in court system
The Guardian ad Litem program will hold a three-day training session for volunteers next week

By AISLING SWIFT
Posted February 3, 2010 at 8:19 p.m.

Ever since social services workers took 12-year-old Rose Douyon and her seven siblings from her Immokalee home due to neglect, Douyon was shuffled through dozens of group and foster homes in Collier, Lee and Pasco counties.

“The house was a mess and there was no food,” said Douyon, now 22, of Fort Myers, referring to her mother’s Immokalee home.

But that didn’t stop her from earning her high school diploma and getting a paralegal degree, which she hopes will land her a job. Douyon eventually wants to be a lawyer and is focusing on family law because she knows the system inside out: She’s lived it.

But if it hadn’t been for her guardian ad litem, the only consistent person in her life since age 14, she knows she wouldn’t have been a foster child success story.

“I believe she changed my life,” Douyon said of Mary Pruchansky, a North Naples retiree who fought for her rights in court. “She’s like my best friend. I still talk to her all the time, every day. It’s like a mother-daughter relationship.”

When social service workers remove a child from a home because of abuse, abandonment or neglect, a guardian ad litem — Latin for “guardian of the law” — is appointed to protect the best interests of a child in the court system.

Douyon “aged out” of foster case at age 18. But there are many more children like her. Some will be adopted, some will return to their parents or relatives, while others are like Douyon.

State reports show there were 30,966 children in the system statewide as of Dec. 31, 2009, and 6,297 had no guardian ad litem. Of the 447 Collier County children, 22 had no guardians ad litem. It’s worse in Lee County, where there were 754 children, 147 without an advocate.

There were 152 guardians ad litem in Collier and 252 in Lee, so having enough is a problem. So the Guardian ad Litem Program in the 20th Judicial Circuit will hold a daytime training session from Feb. 9 to 11 at North Collier Regional Park on Livingston Road. Anyone interested in training can call Connie Sudbrook at 860-0297.

Volunteers work six to 10 hours monthly on their own schedules, meeting with children, foster parents, teachers, caseworkers, writing brief reports for judges, and attending hearings. Since Florida’s program began in 1979, more younger people and men are volunteering, according to Sudbrook, the volunteer recruiter.

“It probably is the most unique volunteer position you can find,” Sudbrook said, estimating at least 80 percent of children are in the system due to parents’ substance-abuse or addictions. “The needs of the child in each case are different, so we’re constantly learning. The longer you do this, the more effective you become.”

“It’s sad at times, but there are also a lot of happy endings,” she said. “We do accomplish a lot and make a difference.”

Lorrie Moore, the case coordinator for the five-county circuit — which also includes Hendry, Charlotte and Glades counties — warns it’s a commitment that takes time, but most stick with it and some have volunteered 10 or 15 years and mentor the new recruits.

“Kids can prevail through whatever they live through,” she said, adding that reunification with parents is the goal, but doesn’t always work. “We really have to look at the whole, big picture. … You have to do what’s in the child’s best interests.”

Pruchansky, who retired from Greenscapes, a landscaping firm she owns with her husband, has volunteered for 10 years and has seen many happy endings and sad stories in the 50 children she’s advocated for.

There was the infant with 19 broken bones, a young girl taken out of her home after she was sexually abused, then placed with her grandparents. Her grandfather then sexually abused her.

Pruchansky’s saddest story?

“The little boy who had to testify against his dad, who tried to kill him,” Pruchansky said, adding that the boy also watched the father stab someone else. “He did see some brutal things.”

Pruchansky, who works mostly in Immokalee, where volunteers are needed, noted: “It really does make a difference in a child’s life. It gives them hope.”

That’s what Pruchansky saw in Douyon, a 14-year-old with behavioral issues.

“Part of it was foster homes that didn’t match her personality,” Pruchansky said. “She and I just bonded. She had issues, but I saw potential. She knew the system wasn’t fair and rebelled against it.”

“She’s a success story,” Pruchansky added. “She didn’t have any family for a long time and I was the only one she had.”

Douyon, a convenience store cashier who is now married, said no one listened until Pruchansky arrived. Before that, she acted out because well-behaved foster children were “forgotten, ignored.”

She hopes other volunteers will help children like her, Douyon said, adding: “As long as you have the heart and mindset to help — and the time because it’s time-consuming — you should do it because it’s an important job.”

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Listen, Talk, Learn;

Their program broadcasts on the Internet every Wednesday, 2:00-2:30 pm ET. The call-in number is 347/326-9411. Visit www.blogtalkradio.com/CWLA-Radio.

On the Line with CWLA is a thought-provoking, interactive, live Internet radio program focusing on subjects, stories, and strategies of special interest to child welfare policymakers, providers, and practitioners. The program, devoted solely to discussions about the welfare of America’s vulnerable children, features a forum where numerous points of view and voices of experience within the child welfare universe can be heard.

The live program, hosted by CWLA Vice President for Policy and Public Affairs Linda Spears, is a production of CWLA that will provide a platform for CWLA member organizations, their staffs, its partners, and concerned citizens in the national community to share ideas and thoughts about critical issues that affect child welfare agencies, vulnerable children and teens, and their families.

The weekly subject-oriented, solutions-driven program broadcasts online at www.blogtalkradio.com/CWLA-Radio, Wednesdays, 2:00-2:30 pm ET and feature indepth, timely discussions with leading child welfare experts, agents, and advocates; leadership and representatives from CWLA’s member agencies; and local and national political figures working to improve child welfare and give a voice to child welfare professionals, providers, and practitioners nationwide.

On the Line with CWLA is a production of the CWLA, Arlington Virginia

The impact of sex abuse on children lasts for ever as is well documented by the medical community www.avahealth.org (watch the videos on this site, the The Relationship of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) to Adult Health Status at the bottom of the home page is terrific).

This article about sex abuse of children in Australia’s child protection system makes me wonder if their reporting is just more honest than ours, or if they really do see more of it.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wa-has-worst-rate-of-child-abuse-report/story-e6frg13u-1225822209261Western Australia has worst rate of child abuse: report

WA Opposition Child Protection Minister Sue Ellery says newly released child abuse figures show the government is failing the state’s children.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s report, Child Protection Australia 2008-09, reveals WA has the highest rate of substantiated child sexual abuse cases in the country.

Ms Ellery said of 1523 cases substantiated nationally, 298 were reported in WA. The figure represents 20 per cent of the total number of abuse findings.

“Western Australia has the highest rate of substantiated cases of child sexual abuse, well ahead of New South Wales which has the second highest rate at 11 per cent,” Ms Ellery said.

“In every other state and territory the rate of substantiated child sexual abuse is less than 10 per cent.

“The number of WA children falling victim to sexual abuse has risen from 253 in 2007-2008 to 298 this year.

“These figures are even more alarming when compared with South Australia, where there were 96 cases of child sexual abuse.”

Ms Ellery said the introduction of mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse half-way through the timeframe of the report was not an excuse for WA’s alarming figures.

“Every other jurisdiction in Australia has mandatory reporting and yet the number of substantiated cases, not reports, of child sexual abuse in WA has been consistently higher than anywhere else,” she said.

“These numbers cannot be explained away by relying on the recent implementation of mandatory reporting.

“Mandatory reporting may account for a slight increase in the number of reported and substantiated cases, but it does not explain why, even before mandatory reporting, Western Australia’s substantiated cases of child sexual abuse were so much higher than other states.”

Ms Ellery said the State of Western Australia was failing its children.

“Sexual abuse of children in WA remains disproportionately higher compared to the rest of Australia and it is clear the Barnett Government must do more to address this insidious problem,” she said.

“I am offering bipartisan support for additional resources to be allocated for an immediate investigation into why the circumstances of these 298 children are so different to the circumstances of children in every other state. ”

“It is not just that we have a high Indigenous population (where historically abuse numbers have been higher) because Queensland and the Northern Territory, with equally high Indigenous populations, do not have the same proportion of sexual abuse as we do.

“Child protection is one area where we need to be constantly vigilant and always looking to improve the way we support families or these numbers will just continue to escalate.”

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Every county in every state needs to know about the guardian Ad Litem program and how it helps at risk children through the difficult system of child protection services.

It is to all our benefit when children thrive in our communities. Children can only thrive if they are given a fair chance to thrive.

Without court appointed guardians, abused and neglected children are voiceless in our communities. For the CASA guardian ad litem program in your state, http://www.nationalcasa.org/, for Florida; www.casa-stpete.org/, for CASA Minnesota http://www.casamn.org/

http://www.pr.com/press-release/206840Voices For Children Foundation Announces Their 2010 Be A Voice Feel the Magic Gala with Special Cirque Du Soleil Performers

Be A Voice Feel The Magic Gala benefiting Voices For Children Foundation-the fundraising arm of the 11th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem Program-is set for Saturday, February 13 at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami.

Miami, FL, January 22, 2010 –(PR.com)– The magical evening will begin at 7:30 p.m. with cocktails and a fabulous silent auction, followed by a sumptuous dinner at 9:00 p.m. and dancing to the music of celebrity DJ Kucha, who has appeared on CNN and MTV. South Florida’s own Channel 10 News Anchor, Laurie Jennings, will serve as the evening’s Mistress of Ceremony.

A highlight of the evening will be special breathtaking performances by Cirque du Soleil acrobats, featuring the internationally renowned dynamic couple, Duo Voltart.

The Be A Voice Feel The Magic Gala is sponsored by Mandarin Oriental, Miami; Southern Wine & Spirits of South Florida, Cathay Pacific Airways; Jeff and Yolanda Berkowitz; The Continental Group; Florida Power and Light; Ramesh and Veena Panjabi; Michael and Diane Rosenberg; Stearns Weaver Miller Weisller Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. and Swire Properties.

Nelson F. Hincapie, President and CEO for Voices for Children Foundation states, “This year’s Gala will be unforgettable! The evening will be filled with surprises- surely not be missed. This evening is all about the children who get lost in the foster care system without a Guardian Ad Litem. Proceeds will help raise much needed funds, so that every child in Foster Care has a voice. This is a great opportunity for people to get involved, make a difference and enjoy an amazing evening.”

Co-chairing this year’s Gala is South Florida philanthropist’s and community leaders, Aimee and Stephen Owens and Veena and Ramesh Panjabi. Serving on the committee is The Honorable Ambassador Carmenza Jaramillo de Maincourt, Maria Maribona, Arancha Plana and Adela Mones.

This year’s extraordinary auction is Co-chaired by long-time supporter and Board Member, Yolanda Berkowitz along with Beth Tasca. The auction committee members include: Lana Bernstein, Sarah Harrelson, Lisa Pliner, Kim Wood, Rhonda Rose-Drecksler, Lourdes Lameran Gail Appelrouth, Chandra Balsera and Leslie Wolfson. Some of the unforgettable and exciting items that will be featured include, a five night stay at a beautiful 2-level home in heart of Santa Fe, NM; a weekend for two with spa services at Costa d’Este including dinner for two at Oriente; Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s resort property in Vero Beach), a fishing trip with Ray Rocher aboard the Miss Britt; a two night stay with at Fontainebleau Miami Beach; The Best Birthday Party Ever (for 20 children) from Miami Children’s Museum; luxury designer items from: Prada Bal Harbour, Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Miu Miu and others; a Fourteen (14) person wine tasting from Wines for Humanity; Sports and entertainment memorabilia; a $5,000 shopping spree from a Luxury Retailer; fine jewelry and much more.

An ongoing supporter of Voices For Children Foundation and this year’s Golden Fan Guardian, Cathay Pacific Airways has once again generously donated an “Oriental Getaway” for two. The winner of this $250.00 raffle will have the opportunity to travel business class with a guest, to one of the following destinations: New Delhi, India, Beijing, China or Bangkok, Thailand.

Individual tickets for the Gala are priced from $500. To learn more about underwriting opportunities, sponsorships, or to purchase table and tickets, please call 305.324.5678 or email iardon@voices4.org.

###

The mission of Voices For Children Foundation is to raise funds to ensure that every abused, abandoned, and neglected child in Miami-Dade County has a court appointed Guardian Ad Litem to represent their best interests in court and that financial assistance and other resources are available to meet their needs.

Be a Voice.

Fifty percent of Americans do nothing when they witness abuse

New Study by Prevent Child Abuse America Reveals Alarming Trends in How Americans Respond to Child Abuse

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Three in ten Americans have witnessed an adult physically abuse a child and two in three Americans have seen an adult emotionally abuse a child (see table 1). Yet nearly half of these Americans failed to respond to the incident, according to a study released today by Prevent Child Abuse America, formerly the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse.Of the 1,250 Americans surveyed, 44 percent failed to respond upon observing child abuse, with one-half of these individuals reporting that they had no idea how to respond effectively (see table 2). Of those who claimed to have done something in response to the situation, 55 percent reported that they had given the offending adult a disapproving look and 63 percent claimed to have verbally reprimanded the adult. According to Prevent Child Abuse America, these responses can be counterproductive and may further endanger the child.

“The research shows that most Americans fail to respond effectively when they encounter child abuse or neglect in a public place because they don’t know what to do,” explained A. Sidney Johnson III, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse America. “Clearly, there is a need to give all citizens the information they need to respond to these situations in a helpful, effective and safe manner.”

- more -

To educate the general public on appropriate and effective responses to child abuse in a public place, Prevent Child Abuse America has launched a new public service campaign. The campaign includes brochures and posters offering advice on positive parenting and on how to respond effectively when observing child abuse or neglect in a public place.

With funding from Target Stores, a longtime supporter of the organization’s child abuse prevention programs, the materials are being distributed through Prevent Child Abuse America’s nationwide network of chapters, offering the following tips for responding to child abuse or neglect in a public place:

Start a conversation with the adult to direct attention away from the child. For example: “My child gets upset like that, too.”
Divert the child’s attention (if misbehaving) by talking to the child.
Look for an opportunity to praise the child or parent.
If the child is in danger, offer assistance.
Avoid negative remarks or looks, which are likely to increase the parent’s anger and could make matters worse.

New Identity for Nation’s Leading

Child Abuse Prevention Organization

The public service campaign is part of a major effort to communicate the new name for Prevent Child Abuse America, which has previously been known as the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse. With 27 years of experience and a network of 42 state chapters, Prevent Child Abuse America is the leading organization working at the national, state and local levels to prevent child abuse in all its forms.

In addition to educating the public about effective responses to child abuse, the campaign is intended to better communicate the nationwide breadth of Prevent Child Abuse America’s capabilities and the depth of its commitment to end child abuse. The announcement of the organization’s new name and public service campaign came on the eve of April’s observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Previously, the national organization and its chapters had not followed any standardized model in the use of name or logo, confounding efforts to demonstrate nationwide unity of the organization, its capabilities and its mission. Prevent Child Abuse America had determined that improved clarity of its national identity and heightened awareness of its capabilities could further strengthen its efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect.

“Prevent Child Abuse America – as a national organization and as a network of state chapters – brings an incredible breadth of knowledge and capabilities to the prevention of child abuse and neglect,” said Maura Somers Dughi, president of the Board of Directors for Prevent Child Abuse America. “Under our new national identity, it will be easier to demonstrate the strength and value of this knowledge and these capabilities on the local, state and national levels.”

Twenty-six state chapters have already changed their names to reflect the national organization’s model, as in the case of Prevent Child Abuse California, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois and Prevent Child Abuse New York. Ten other chapters are expected to change their names in the next six months.

New TV and Radio Awareness Campaign Launched

In conjunction with the organization’s new name, Prevent Child Abuse America is launching a nationwide campaign of television and radio public service announcements. The energetic and uplifting television spots feature children speaking directly into the camera to offer their thoughts on “What Kids Are Made Of.” Complementary radio spots have also been produced. Both television and radio spots are being distributed nationally by the Advertising Council.

The media campaign has been adapted from one originally developed by the Partnership to Prevent Child Abuse, a Connecticut alliance of public and private concerns dedicated to empowering and educating communities and individuals to recognize the vital role they play in child abuse prevention. The partnership includes the Connecticut Center for Prevention of Child Abuse, a chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America.

The spots were produced by Cronin and Company, Inc., of Glastonbury, Conn., which donated its time as part of its 50th anniversary celebration. Response to the campaign was so strong throughout the state, that the Connecticut chapter and its advertising agency, in collaboration with the Partnership to Prevent Child Abuse, approached Prevent Child Abuse America about national distribution.

“We were impressed and thrilled by our Connecticut chapter’s television and radio spots from the very start and couldn’t have been happier to adapt them for use nationally,” said Johnson. “Our chapters are producing incredibly powerful and creative public awareness materials, and we’re pleased to be able to work with our chapters whenever possible to share these great materials with the rest of the country.”

Headquartered in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America was founded in 1972 with an endowment from the Donna J. Stone Foundation and is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse in all its forms. Supported by private and corporate donors, the organization is widely known for its public awareness, education, prevention programs, advocacy and research. More information about child abuse prevention is available by calling 1-800-CHILDREN or by accessing the organization’s website, www.childabuse.org.

# # #

Table 1: Personal Observations of Child Abuse and Neglect

Observations of Child Abuse or Neglect

Percentage Responding in the Affirmative

Have you seen an adult physically abuse a child?

32%

Have you seen an adult emotionally abuse a child (e.g., insult, taunt or harass)?

66%

Have you seen an adult neglect a child (e.g., ignore a child’s needs, fail to feed or clothe properly or withhold affection)?

47%

Source: Kirkpatrick, Kevin (1999, March). 1999 Public Awareness Survey. Chicago: Prevent Child Abuse America.

Table 2: Reasons for Failing to Respond to Observations of Child Abuse and Neglect

Reasons for Failing to Respond

Percentage Responding in the Affirmative

Didn’t think it was any of my business

57%

Didn’t know what the proper response might be

50%

Afraid other people might interpret response as overreacting

23%

Concerned for own personal safety

19%

Thought the parent’s actions might be justified

17%

Source: Kirkpatrick, Kevin (1999, March). 1999 Public Awareness Survey. Chicago: Prevent Child Abuse America.

Copyright ©2000 Prevent Child Abuse America. All rights reserved.
200 S. Michigan Avenue, 17th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-2404
phone 312-663-3520; fax 312-939-8962

http://www.connectforkids.org/newsletters/update

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/10/community_schools.html

Almost half (46.3%) had experienced a physical assault in the study year, 1 in 4 (24.6%) had experienced a property offense, 1 in 10 (10.2%) had experienced a form of child maltreatment, 6.1% had experienced a sexual victimization, and more than 1 in 4 (25.3%) had been a witness to violence or experienced another form of indirect victimization in the year, including 9.8% who had witnessed an intrafamily assault.

One in 10 (10.2%) had experienced a victimization-related injury. More than one third (38.7%) had been exposed to 2 or more direct victimizations, 10.9% had 5 or more, and 2.4% had 10 or more during the study year.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/124/5/1411Published online October 5, 2009
PEDIATRICS Vol. 124 No. 5 November 2009, pp. 1411-1423 (doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0467)
ARTICLE
Violence, Abuse, and Crime Exposure in a National Sample of Children and Youth
David Finkelhor, PhDa, Heather Turner, PhDa, Richard Ormrod, PhDa, Sherry L. Hamby, PhDb
a Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
a Department of Psychology, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee