Child Abuse & Neglect Primer: Early Intervention & Pre-School

Please scroll down for outcomes per discipline and other information, such as Target Audience, Course Content and Level

Course Outline:

Course intent: To provide occupational therapists with the clinical background to understand the clinically relevant issues regarding child abuse  so as to – by virtue of their front-line entry access into home of very young children – educate, and help prevent occurrence/recurrence by virtue of their role as an early intervention provider providing occupational therapy in the home.

Relevance to speech language pathologists, occupational & physical therapists and other early intervention providers: Early intervention therapists, educational and other providers  in the early intervention setting are on the front line of treating children with who may be at risk for child abuse and neglect especially when visiting the home in the early intervention setting. 

Outcomes:

Provider will be able to: Identify risk factors for child abuse for babies and infants

Provider will be able to: Identify instances when contacting child protective services is an imperative legal mandate, and what the consequences – both civil and criminal are toward the occupational therapist and the status of their licensure for their failure to discharge their legal obligation under State law.

Provider will be able to: Identify the signs and symptoms of various types of child abuse

Provider will be able to: Identify the legal obligation – based upon the State practice acts of each State defining a professional obligation to report child abuse - of early intervention providers to report potential situations which may result in child abuse to the child entrusted to their professional care

Provider will be able to: Identify the critical elements which the early intervention therapist can implement life-saving educational lessons to guardians and parents – for example, as in the case of shaken baby syndrome, thereby staving off and proactively implementing home changes that may save the life of the child

Provider will be able to: fulfill their State obligatory imperative, based upon State early intervention regulations, that all early intervention providers be actively involved in a preventative manner, and be ready to react – via education &/or communication with early intervention service coordinators and officials - in a life-saving manner with respect to the child’s health and safety

Provider will be able to: Identify the ethical constraints and professional obligations imperative to early intervention professionals vis-a-vis child abuse and neglect, as well as mandated reporting

Target Population: SLP, Audiologists, OT, COTA, PT, PTA, SW, SI/SE

Classification Code OT: 

o   Professional Issues

o   Contemporary Issues & Trends

o   Ethics

o   Professional Development & Continued Competency; Introductory

Target level: All practitioners

Prerequisites: None

Speech Language Pathology:
Intermediate 7060  Patient/Client Safety and Prevention of Medical Errors

Level:  Various

Content Code: Related

OT Classification Code:
Professional Issues
Contemporary Issues & Trends
Ethics
Professional Development & Continued Competency

Target level: All levels; Introductory

 Course Agenda:

- Introduction

- Types of child abuse

- Signs of physical abuse

- Corporal punishment

- Sexual abuse

- Emotional abuse

- Neglect

- Environmental neglect

- Classifications of neglect

- Neglect vs abuse

- Effects of abuse

- Causes and risk factors

- Family structure

- Substance abuse

- Adolescent parents

- Who is required to report

- When is a report required

- How to report

- Ethical Obligations to report

- Anonymity and immunity

- Care of abused children

- Prevention and training programs

Outcomes:

Provider will be able to: Identify risk factors for child abuse for babies and infants
Provider will be able to: Identify instances when contacting child protective services is an imperative legal mandate, and what the consequences – both civil and criminal are toward the occupational therapist and the status of their licensure for their failure to discharge their legal obligation under State law.
Provider will be able to: Understand the historical roots of social work and its involvement in the child welfare system.
Provider will be able to: Relate each core social work value to the services and intervention surrounding cases of child abuse.
Provider will be able to: Learn the signs and symptoms of various types of child abuse
Provider will be able to: Identify the legal obligation – based upon the State practice acts of each State defining a professional obligation to report child abuse - of early intervention providers to report potential situations which may result in child abuse to the child entrusted to their professional care
Provider will be able to: Identify the critical elements which the early intervention therapist can implement life-saving educational lessons to guardians and parents – for example, as in the case of shaken baby syndrome, thereby staving off and proactively implementing home changes that may save the life of the child
Provider will be able to: Understand both the long-term and short-term affect of child abuse on the victim, the perpetrator, and the family involved and the critical reasons behind intervention.
Provider will be able to: fulfill their State obligatory imperative, based upon State early intervention regulations, that all early intervention providers be actively involved in a preventative manner, and be ready to react – via education &/or communication with early intervention service coordinators and officials - in a life-saving manner with respect to the child’s health and safety
Provider will be able to: Identify the ethical constraints and professional obligations imperative to early intervention professionals vis-a-vis child abuse and neglect, as well as mandated reporting
Provider will be able to: Have a sensitive understanding to how culture can affect the mindset of “abuse” and how to address this concern professionally.