Parent education, community centers, respite care services, and substance-abuse treatment programs help to protect children by addressing circumstances that place families at risk for child abuse and neglect.
There are 20 states that require every citizen who suspects abuse or neglect to report it. "Reasonable suspicion" based on objective evidence—which could be firsthand observation or hearing statements made by a parent or child—is all that is needed to report abuse.
Understanding neglect requires an awareness of related social problems such as poverty, substance abuse and domestic violence. Interventions to treat children and families affected by neglect require thorough assessments and customized treatment.
Sources:
- National Institutes of Health—National Library of Medicine
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
-Administration for Children and Families: - www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/signs.cfm and www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm05/cm05.pdf
-Office of Child Abuse and Neglect - www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/foundation/foundationc.cfm
Acts of Omission: An Overview of Child Neglect
