Child Maltreatment

–Child maltreatment – All children and adolescents should be assessed for current or past maltreatment. Child maltreatment includes

psychological, physical, or sexual abuse and neglect. Children and adolescents can be asked directly about their experiences of maltreatment, but may not be forthcoming with information because of fear of the consequences of reporting (e.g., further abuse or punishment from the abuser, fear that they may be removed from their home), because of mistrust of adults, or because of feelings of shame. The social worker may need to rely on direct observation, collateral reports, or historical records to accurately assess. If child maltreatment is suspected, the social worker should follow local reporting laws and agency/facility protocol. Although none of these symptoms should be used to identify child maltreatment on its own, possible signs of child maltreatment include – Physical: unexplained injuries, bruising, cuts, current or past sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, dirty clothing or

signs of poor hygiene, failure to meet developmental milestones – Psychological: impulsivity or inattention, changes in behavior (e.g., increased anger, hostility, or depression),

suicide attempts, exaggerated startle response, delayed emotional development; parent inability to recognize signs of emotional distress in his or her child