CHILD ABUSE, PREVENTION, AND MANDATORY REPORTING

Course overview

Child abuse is a national and international issue that has serious long-term consequences for the child and the community. A social problem that has existed for thousands of years, child abuse in all its forms first became a topic of national interest in the 1960s with the advocacy of Henry Berge, founder of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Today, there is a system of laws in all 50 states that now define what constitutes abuse and neglect and who is mandated to report abuse. The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the types of abuse; signs, symptoms, and risk factors of abuse; and pertinent elements of the laws impacting mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect.