Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting CEUs

Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting Continuing Education Units CEUs

(7 hours/units)
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Objectives:

1. Assess child abuse risk factors
2. Evaluate the need for a Suspected Child Abuse Report
3. Become familiar with relevant child abuse statistics
4. Differentiate between the roles of mandated and non-mandated reporters
5. Identify the symptoms and warning signs of child abuse
6. Utilize applicable clinical assessment and treatment tools
7. Utilize applicable treatment interventions
8. Identify and have accessibility to relevant resources

Table of Contents:

1. Definition
2. History and the Law
3. Types of Child Abuse
4. Statistics
5. Mandated Reporters
6. Child Abuse Symptoms
7. Clinical Assessment
2
8. Treatment
9. Resources
10. References

1. Definition

Child abuse is the physical, psychological or sexual maltreatment of children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines child maltreatment as “any act or series of acts or commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child”. Most child abuse occurs in the home, with a lesser amount occurring in the organizations, schools or community organizations. Currently, there are four widely recognized and identifiable categories of child abuse including neglect, physical abuse, psychological/emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. Different jurisdictions have developed their own definitions of what constitutes child abuse for the purposes of removing a child from his/her family and/or prosecuting a criminal charge. The Mental Health Journal defines child as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”