ter, and she had a history of crack addiction and past involvement with violent boyfriends. Shifting positionsThe emotionally charged desire to "do something" about child abuse, had outstanding media coverage. For years, advocates, program administrators, and politicians have all pushed for more reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect.Potential reporters are frequently told to "take no chances" and to report any child for whom they have the slightest concern. There is a tendency to tell people to report children whose behavior suggests that they have been abused. These indicators include children who are unusually withdrawn or shy as well as children who are unusually friendly to strangers. However, only a small minority of children who show such behaviors have actually been mistreated.Failure to reportFew people fail to report because they do not care about an endangered child. Instead, they may be unaware of the danger the child faces or of the protective procedures that are available. A study of nonreporting among teachers, for example, blamed their "lack of knowledge for detecting symptoms of child abuse and neglect." Few inappropriate of unfounded reports are deliberately false statements. Most involve an honest desire to protect children with confusion about what conditions are reportable.Confusion about reporting is largely caused by the lack of reporting laws and aggravated by the failure of child protective agencies to provide guidance about deciding to report. A group of child protection professionals made a new law agencies must follow when doing anything concerning their investigation with a certain child or family. Here is an example:1. Clarify child abuse reporting laws.2. Provide continuing public education and professional training.3. Screen reports.4. Modify liability laws.5. Give feedback to persons who report , andAdopt an agency policy. ConclusionChild abuse and neglect is a very serious issue that ...
