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Protecting
God's Children for Adults
What if You
Report Abuse and Nothing Happens?-Part 2
What's next if you
think the state mishandled or ignored a complaint?
Sometimes,
well-meaning adults report suspected child sexual abuse to the proper
authorities &ldots;and, nothing happens. For a moment, place yourself
in the following circumstances:
Until you were
faced with the responsibility to make the report, you didn't realize
that picking up the phone to report suspected abuse would be so
difficult. It took courage to speak up-and you did it! The problem is
that you reported the suspected abuse but nothing happened-or so it
seems. Perhaps the intake worker told you the information you had was
not sufficient for an investigation. Or, maybe you were waiting for
someone to intervene to protect the child, and it never happened. You
become disillusioned and discouraged and you wondered, "Why did
I even bother?"
According to the
Five-Step Plan to Protect God's Children, "Communicating our
concerns is perhaps the most difficult of the five steps&ldots;"
A lack of communication can lead to a number of problems. Frustration
and annoyance are common among child advocates in the community. When
a report of child abuse appears to go unnoticed by state officials,
we sometimes wonder whether reporting makes any difference. However,
if we allow our disillusionment with the system to impact our
willingness to report, our disappointment and frustration gets in the
way of our commitment to keep children safe.
So, what can we do
when state child protection service workers take no action and
children are left in vulnerable and unsafe situations? There are no
easy answers to this question. Taking the issue beyond the initial
reporting stages can be challenging. It requires that those who are
committed to the safety and well-being of children venture further
outside their own comfort zone to assure that the complaint is heard
and investigated.
Any adult who
feels that a report of alleged abuse was not properly investigated
after the initial report may request to speak to the supervisor of
the intake worker, to the caseworker assigned to the investigation,
or to the caseworker's supervisor. Just as in the video, A Plan to
Protect God's Children™, one way to address issues that give
rise to concern is to bring them to the attention of the person
involved or to that person's supervisor. Forwarding these issues to a
supervisor or caseworker can provide the catalyst necessary for a
full investigation.
If, however, after
talking with the supervisor or caseworker you are still not satisfied
with the results achieved, take your concerns to the State Liaison
Officer (SLO) for child abuse. Every state has employees who are
responsible for assuring that the state agency complies with state
policies and laws regarding the investigation of suspected child
sexual abuse. These employees are also responsible for ensuring full
enforcement of the policies and laws governing the prosecution of
child molesters and the resolution of custody issues. A list of SLOs
for each state can be accessed online at www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/slo.htm.
Adults should also
remember that one simple number could call immediate attention to the
situation. Call 911 any time you have a concern for the well-being of
a child. Police intervention may be the best way to assure the safety
of a child. Don't be afraid to make that call-a child's health and
safety may depend on your courage.
When the system
works, and it often does, children are protected and intervention
services are provided to families to assure they get the help they
need to deal with the situation that gave rise to the allegations.
When the system fails, children sometimes die. It is crucial that
caring adults be relentless in their efforts to report abuse and to
assure that proper, full investigations are conducted and appropriate
actions are taken.
There is a saying,
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
Vulnerable, at-risk children are counting on us to be
"tough" for them-"tough" when others give
up-"tough" when it seems that even the appropriate state
agency doesn't care-"tough" when doors close and it takes
more time and effort than expected to persevere. Sometimes, tough
simply means never, never, never abandoning your roll and
responsibility in helping to protect an at-risk child. |
