Table of Contents
Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force On Violence And The Family
Reporting child abuse cases to child protection authorities often is the only means to initiate interventions. Inadequate follow-up by an overburdened system, however, sometimes intensifies the pain, disruption, and uncertainty in the lives of abused children and their families, and it is destructive to the therapeutic process without contributing help or protection. Psychologists who work in schools, clinics, and private offices are required by law to report any suspected incidents of child abuse. However, the difficulties in getting appropriate intervention when such reports are made and the damage to the therapeutic relationship are often discouraging to mental health professionals. Abused children find it difficult to disclose the violence they experience, and when they do find a trusted person to whom they disclose the information, they often feel betrayed when it is reported to the authorities.
Observing the overwhelming burden on the child protection system, service providers sometimes fear that making a report will hinder a child's recovery rather than assist in it. Family members often are separated from each other by the system and may not continue treatment with the reporting professional. Investigations may be conducted poorly by minimally trained caseworkers who have little understanding of family dynamics or their clients' cultural characteristics. Reports indicate that outright bias may affect the handling of poor families, and relatively few child protection agencies can afford to provide sufficient services to re-direct a child's or family's life toward healthy functioning.
Many people who work with abused children are discouraged by the lack of resources for dealing with reports of abuse. The system may protect some of the more seriously physically abused children from being killed, but many children who are removed from their homes experience longstanding disruption and uncertainty, and remain in foster care for years. Rarely do these children receive any psychotherapy or other treatment, and even less frequently do they receive help to reduce the trauma aftereffects such as nightmares, poor concentration in school, cognitive confusion, intrusive memories, and other acute anxiety and depression symptoms associated with abuse. Although treatment plans are usually ordered in juvenile court proceedings, rarely is access to psychotherapy or other treatment readily available to parents, even when they are motivated to seek help.
Many professionals question the merits of mandatory reporting for cases of child abuse; yet they know that if a report is not made, it is unlikely that victims or perpetrators will enter any system of care, protection, and rehabilitation.
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