Is It Abuse?

       Our class time today focused on the topic of child abuse and neglect.  While this isn't the first time I have examined this subject, I did learn a lot of new information that I will take with me as I venture out into the world of teaching.  What I found most useful was reading the "Is it abuse?" scenarios and then comparing the details and circumstances to Washington State law.   What I learned is that the law is not as black and white as it would seem.  In fact, there is a bit of "grey area" within the law,  What this means to me is that we as educators need to rely on our common sense, the advice and assistance of our school administration, and the law itself to help us determine if in fact, abuse or neglect has occurred and therefore must be reported.  

      Discussing mandatory reporting guidelines and watching the video on making a CPS report brought back memories of the times I have had to initiate reports in the past. In each of these instances, I felt compelled to report my suspicions, and knew in my gut that I had made the right decision to do so.  I took this responsibility very seriously and though I knew I was making the correct choice in reporting, I can recall feeling very worried about the situation and sick to my stomach for what the child was going through.  In my experience, not knowing what happened to the child that I had reported on was very difficult emotionally.  In three of the four instances in which I filed a report, I never found out what happened to the child or their family.  It left me wondering if the family received the help and support they needed and if they were able to stay together as a family unit.  It also left me wanting to do more to help the child.  A few years ago I found a way to do more to help children who have experienced abuse and neglect.  I began volunteering at the Treehouse organization.  Treehouse is a non-profit King County organization that provides benefits and services to more than 5,000 children living in foster care.  I began volunteering monthly, working directly with foster families to help meet some of their foster child's most basic needs.  It has been an extremely rewarding experience for me, and one I plan to continue for years to come!

~ Christy