Course Description
This is a detailed and up-to-date course on clinical and legal issues in child abuse assessment and reporting. Controversial areas are supported by clear explanations with citations of metastudies, case law, government initiatives, and other current sources. The course covers mandated reporting, profiles of persons who abuse, effects of various types of abuse, resilience, working with child protective agencies, assisting clients in responding to such agencies appropriately, signs of possible child abuse, the value and shortcomings of various signs of abuse, and other topics. A plain-English handout is included that instructs clients as to how to conduct themselves during an investigation.

Clinicians can view abuse and neglect in terms of medical consequences such as injuries and malnutrition, and psychological or developmental consequences such as symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, behavioral problems, and delayed development.

Many situations of abuse and neglect are clinically complicated because they can involve multi-problem families in which there is a number of axis I and even axis II issues, serious financial and health issues, and multiple legal problems that include the abuse or neglect issue. In addition, there may be multi-generational problems associated with poverty, cognitive problems, and mental illness.

Families fall along a spectrum from fairly intact to multi-problem families. In more dysfunctional families, the abuse or neglect is part of a web of problems. Such families have numerous impairments and issues that pose a great challenge to treatment.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this course, the participant will be able to:

• Identify mandated reporters, and understand the participant's responsibilities in mandated reporting.
• Know the standards for making a report of child abuse, including factors such as the limits of confidentiality, reasonable suspicion, and statutory responsibility.
• Understand the role of Child Protective Services in regard to reporting and resulting actions.
• Be aware of controversies regarding the child welfare system, guidance that can help clients that are affected, and types of reforms being explored by pilot programs and other initiatives.
• Be able to assess child abuse signs and symptoms within the limits of a written course.
• Understand the limits to child abuse verification, such as ways that false positives can be produced.
• Recognize physical indications of abuse and neglect.
• Recognize typical psychological disorders occurring in survivors of abuse and neglect.
• Describe the forms of treatment currently available to individuals and families.
• Describe case management issues pertaining to child abuse and neglect.
• Know how to educate clients as to how to conduct themselves if they are investigated for abuse or neglect. Have text that can be used as a plain-English handout for clients.
• Describe methods of intervention that minimize trauma to survivors of sexual abuse and their families.
• Know how to manage legal issues in child abuse reporting and case management, including confidentiality.
• Be familiar with causes of abuse and sexual abuse.
• Know the profiles of sexual abusers and be able to distinguish between pedophiles types and other types of abusers.