Child Abuse Case Evaluation

THE DIRTY HOUSE CASE: The dirty house case certainly brings some concerns to light. However, I would not constitute this case study as evidence of child abuse. Per the guidelines listed on page 41 of the text, there is no evidence in this case of physical abuse. The concerns I would have as a medical professional would be that of the health risks that would accumulate over time in house that maintains that level of mess. The evidence of cockroaches and animal fecal matter may not be affecting the children currently, but I would raise the issue with the parents that this could eventually cause long term problems, such as asthma that can develop from the persistence of cockroaches in the home. In addition, I would address concerns about the eating habits of the children, stressing the fact that the parents should make a greater effort to providing healthier food for their children as well as a clean home. Nevertheless, as the children appear to be relatively healthy and developing normally, without any physical injuries, I would not feel the need to report this as a child abuse scenario.

THE MASSAGE PARLOR CASE: This is a slightly more complicated case. For all appearances, as of the moment, it does not appear that the child is being affected by child abuse. Her home itself is not a concern. What I would be concerned with as a health care professional would be the potential for emotional issues and distress that could potentially arise from being raised in this type of environment. The child may also run the risk of being exposed to or acquiring illicit substances at a very young age, as well as the potential for physical or sexual abuse from the customers that may enter the premises. However, at this current time, there does not appear to be any reason to report this as a child abuse case. There have been no reports of physical or sexual abuse and no reports that the child is not developing normally. While the home life of the child is certainly questionable, and should be addressed to the parent in regards to a more suitable care environment for her after school hours, I would keep an eye on any developing issues, but would not file a report at this time.

THE TRUANT CASE: This case study was slightly more straightforward. The child was reported as not attending his school. Rather than a more standard method of punishment, such as grounding or loss of privileges, the father chose to forcibly hit his child repeatedly using a strap. Not only did he use force, this force was in excess to the point where the child was left with lasting marks. This is a case that I would report as child abuse. While I do agree that the parent had a right to punish his child for not attending school, the use of force was excessive and unnecessary. It also lends to the strong possibility that this is not new parenting behavior for the father, nor would it appear that this type of action was an isolated incident. There is strong potential that if such a mild offense would bring about this type of excessive force, that the child would be at risk for more of this type of injury later on. I would absolutely report this as child abuse.

THE SUICIDAL CHILD: Initially, this would not appear to be a case of direct child abuse. While the child’s evaluation after her suicide attempt showed signs of depression, this is not the fault of the parents. It was the actions of the parents after the child’s attempt that would warrant a child abuse report. It is concerning that after such an incident that the parents needed to be threatened in order to allow a mental evaluation to be done on the child. This is fairly standard procedure after a suicide attempt, and the fact that the parents opposed it is the concerning fact. While I can understand the desire for the parents to keep their child out of foster placement in order to assist her themselves, it cannot be ignored that the refusal to give their child the therapy that she needed is a type of mental abuse. Since it was not indicated that this was for religious or spiritual reasons, it should be considered a case of child abuse, and would need to be reported for the child’s mental and emotional wellbeing.