If you thought a child was being negected would you report it?

Angie - posted on 07/20/2009

I don't think I would, unless I was 100% sure. I tried disciplining my daughter in a restaraunt...I felt like I couldn't follow through (by flicking or slapping her hand), because every eye in there was on me... But I think it is ridiculous that if your child is acting up in a store... you can't properly discipline (whether it is a spanking or grabbing of the arm or even talking to them). Everyone is there watching them, and I personally think people will call the cops, social services,etc. if they don't agree with your "parenting".

Alison - posted on 07/19/2009

I would say yes if I knew for sure and the child could not be any worse off in care. The reason I would hesitate is because mistakes are made and children who end up in care are sometimes worse off than if they had been left with neglectful parents. I feel sick when the news reports sexual abuse incidents in care that have gone on for decades. It makes me think that I would never want to involve social services in a childs life for feer of making it even worse.

JL - posted on 07/19/2009

Yes..and I have before. I had a neighbor who was never home and left her 3 children under the age of 10 by themselves at home. They hardly ever went to school and they were always knocking on neighbors doors asking to borrow food and drink products because she did not grocery shop for them. After I called CPS on them I found out that far worse things were going on in that household. Neglect is a serious issue and if suspected you should look into what is going..MAYBE the familiy just needs assistance but if it is more than that then call someone quickly. Because neglect has been linked directly toward low performance in education, it results in stunted mental growth, and many children who become violent and drug addicted grew up in neglectful homes.



I used to work with middle schoolers and if we suspected any kind of child neglect or abuse we were obligated to report it to higher ups in the school and then they made the decision after talking to the kids and gathering information on whether to call in the proper authorities. I had a student come into class with a visible bruise and red mark across the side of her face. When I asked what had happened she told me her mother slapped her the day before for back talking. Now I am not against spanking..I will give my children a swat occassionaly, but when it is a day later and a visible mark is still in sight... then this to me crosses the line. I went to the principal and they called the authorities. The mother lost it and said we were infringing upon her rights to discpline her child.

Mel - posted on 07/19/2009

im wondering that myself atm. ive just been told some information, but i guess i cannot report it if i dont know for sure it is true

Alison - posted on 07/19/2009

Only if I was sure. It is possible to jump to conclusions. I also think many decisions made by the authorities are political rather than for the children. Many people will report what they personally think is abusive rather than what is actual abuse. I see things that I don't approve of all the time, but they are not classed as abuse or neglect for reporting purposes.



On that note I would like to vent if you will let me. A woman threatened to report me because I pulled my son out of the road by his clothes because I had no time to do anything else. He had a tantrum and threw himself on the floor in the middle of the road. What was I supposed to do? Perhaps politely reason with him on his level while we both got flattend by a big truck.

Charlie - posted on 07/18/2009

YES !! 100% i would , every child deserves the right to be safe , healthy and loved .

~Jennifer - posted on 07/18/2009

I think that you'd better know for damn sure that you're reporting ABUSE and NEGLECT and not just "I don't agree with their parenting".
...but yes, if I saw and could prove neglect or abuse, I'd be the first person standing there holding the 'parent' by the throat while we waited for the police.

Sean - posted on 07/18/2009

yes, you are obligated to report any abuse that you suspect.

Joy - posted on 07/18/2009

That's the "gray" area I was talking about. If I saw someone spank their child in public, I personally wouldn't consider it abuse unless it obviously went too far. In that case I would probably intervene personally and call the cops and then try to help the child. Maybe try to calm the parent down and keep them talking until the cops got there and then let them handle it.

Katie - posted on 07/18/2009

To answer the question, yes I would. Children need a voice sometimes...

but what do you guys constitute as neglect? Where do you draw the line? My neighbors had someone call child services for spanking her kid one day at the park because like most children, her son decided to scream bloody murder.

Abby - posted on 07/18/2009

yes 100%, i couldnt imagine the guilt if i didnt and something happened!

every child deserves a good start in life!

xx

Jessica - posted on 07/18/2009

Absolutely! I wouldn't hesitate if I thought there was any posibility of neglect. I think one of the reasons so many children suffer neglect is because there are so many people unwilling to get involved. These children are our future, we need to protect them.

Joy - posted on 07/18/2009

Like Sarah said, if I was 100% positive it was happening, I definitely would report it. It's such a hard thing to prove though. I mean, if it's a child I know personally, then I think it would be a lot easier to definitely find out if it's abuse or neglect. But if it's a lady at the grocery store who smacks their child (not that doing that is ok either), I don't know if I'd be as quick to do something. Not to excuse the behavior but I don't know that lady...maybe she's just had a really bad day or something and maybe smacking her child is not her norm. It's such a gray area. But like I said, if I KNEW for SURE that a child was being abused or neglected, like say if I was always hearing my neighbor's son cry and knew his parents were leaving him home alone all the time, without question, I would report it.

Esther - posted on 07/18/2009

Without a doubt. I think neglect is just as painful (sometimes maybe even more) and harmful as physical abuse.

Sapphire - posted on 07/18/2009

I've had to in the past when I suspected a student being neglected. Sadly, this was a young lady who had been in and out of the foster care system. She was returned to her mother, and I saw the signs almost immediately. She needed to get out of that home, and I had to report the situation to the principal. Even though Jamie must be at least 18-19 now, I still think about her. She spent soooo many after school hours hanging out in my classroom because she refused to go home. I ran into her a few years ago. She emancipated herself from her mother, and had some roommates in a crummy apartment. She dropped out of school so she could work menial jobs. I always wondered if she made it back to school and made something of her life.

Lindsay - posted on 07/18/2009

Luckily, I never have had to but if I came across children that were suffering or in danger, I would call in a heartbeat. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't!

Sara - posted on 07/18/2009

It is actually your duty to do so if you believe a child is endangered. I worked in social services for several years and at least in the US that is what is expected. I have done it before as well.

Dawn - posted on 07/18/2009

Yup and I have done it too. You have to think about the children. Even if its family as was in my case. Got to protect the children if the parents aren't.

Cara - posted on 07/18/2009

Without hesitation. I have done it before and would do it again. I have seen up close what horrible things can happen to a child (through work) and am a mandatory reporter.

Erin - posted on 07/18/2009

Yes, and I've done it. I used to be friends with a woman who had 2 children (12 and 6). She was single and whenever we went out (which was often) she said her kids were with her Mum. This was years ago and before I became a mother, but even then I found it unsettling that she was coming out with us all the time rather than staying home with her kids. Long story short... we got more friendly and I started spending more time at her place. I began to suspect she was using speed (she was injecting it) and then I found out she was actually leaving her children at home alone when she went out at night. I'm not sure if she started to trust me or she realised I was onto her but she eventually admitted it all. I ended the friendship because I couldn't support her decisions and lifestyle, but I felt terribly guilty about the kids. After many conversations with another friend of ours I actually did call the police when I knew she was out and the kids were unsupervised. I also told them where to find her stash of drugs. Unfortunately nothing happened to her, but at least I did my bit.

Sarah - posted on 07/18/2009

If i was 100% sure....then yes. :)